Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Palliation of Hematuria Arising From Urothelial Carcinoma of the Kidney in Unfavorable Surgical Candidates
Materials and methods: Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved review of the records, laboratory values, pathology, and imaging of 8 consecutive patients treated with SBRT over a 5-year period for uncontrolled gross hematuria caused by UC of the renal pelvis or calyces.
Results: Therapy was delivered in 3 to 5 treatments over 1 to weeks. Individual treatments lasted an average of 17.2 minutes. No patient experienced treatment-related pain, vomiting, or diarrhea. All enjoyed cessation of bleeding within a week of completing therapy. Hematuria recurred in 2 patients in 4 and 22 months. Of the patients who have not re-bled, 3 expired of metastatic disease or co-morbidities, and 3 remain alive up to 6 years posttreatment. Of patients who have survived longer than a year, creatinine has changed by -0.05 to +0.35, and estimated glomerular filtration rate has fallen by an average of 22%. No patient has required dialysis.
Conclusions: SBRT appears to be an effective and well-tolerated means of palliating gross hematuria secondary to UC of the renal pelvis or calyces in patients who are unfavorable candidates for nephrectomy or ureteroscopic ablation. Treatment was associated with a moderate decline in renal function.
Jesse Aronowitz, Linda Ding, Jennifer Yates, Yang Zong, Larry Zheng, Zhong Jiang, Jessica Yancey, Kriti Mittal, Thomas J Fitzgerald
Source: Aronowitz, J, Ding, L, Yates, J et al. "Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Palliation of Hematuria Arising From Urothelial Carcinoma of the Kidney in Unfavorable Surgical Candidates." American Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2021. 44-5-175-180.