Abstract

  Laparoscopic nephroureterectomy has been used to treat upper urinary tract urothelial cell carcinoma（UUT-UC）with reduced morbidity. We started retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephroureterectomy（RNU）using hand-assisted technique on December 2002. We performed a retrospective review of data from patients who underwent open nephroureterectomy（ONU）and RNU for UUT-UC from December 1990 to November 2010 at our institution. Overall, 57 patients underwent ONU and 56 underwent RNU. Patients and histological characteristics were similar between the two groups. Mean operating time was 289 mins for RNU and 240 mins for ONU（p=0.005）. The bladder recurrence rate, distant metastases, and cancer specific survival did not differ significantly between the two groups. RNU does not negatively affect long-term oncologic control and can be considered an alternative modality. However, long-term follow-up is necessary to recommend RNU for highly invasive or high grade tumors.