Objectives: We reviewed our series of upper urinary tract tumors submitted to endoscopic management as definitive treatment.
Methods: The series comprised 18 patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract; 14 were treated by the percutaneous approach and 4 by ureteroscopy. All of them were single, papillary and low grade tumors. In 17 patients we analyzed the nephrostomy track for local tumoral seeding.
Results: The mean follow up was 29 months. Fourteen patients remain free of recurrent disease (5-84 months); 2 patients recurred and 2 others were diagnostic errors. No evidence of tumoral seeding was observed.
Conclusions: Percutaneous or ureteroscopic surgery can achieve cure in selected cases. Local recurrence outside the urinary tract ascribable to percutaneous surgery appears to be unlikely.