Abstract
The role of postoperative irradiation was evaluated in 27 patients with cancers of the renal pelvis and ureter. All patients were previously untreated and underwent ipsilateral nephrourectomy. Eleven patients were treated by the operation alone and the postoperative irradiation was performed in the remaining 16.Five-year survival rate and the rate of local recurrence were compared between the patients treated by surgery and surgery+postoperative irradiation. Five-year survival rate did not differ with 68.0% and 72.9% in the patients treated by surgery and surgery+postoperative irradiation, respectively. However, local recurrence was lower with a statistical significance in the patients who underwent postoperative irradiation. This trend was most remarkable in the uninary bladder where the highest incidence of local recurrence was seen. Three patients treated by postoperative irradiation including the whole bladder did not recur in the bladder. For the cancers of the renal pelvis and ureter, postoperative irradiation encompassing the whole bladder is recommended to improve local control.
