Home > Journals > Minerva Urology and Nephrology > Past Issues > Minerva Urologica e Nefrologica 2019 April;71(2) > Minerva Urologica e Nefrologica 2019 April;71(2):121-6

CURRENT ISSUE
 

JOURNAL TOOLS

Publishing options
eTOC
To subscribe
Submit an article
Recommend to your librarian
 

ARTICLE TOOLS

Publication history
Reprints
Permissions
Cite this article as
Share

 

REVIEW   Free accessfree

Minerva Urologica e Nefrologica 2019 April;71(2):121-6

DOI: 10.23736/S0393-2249.18.03192-2

Copyright © 2018 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Clinical and histopathological features of carcinosarcoma of the renal pelvis: a systematic review of a rare tumor

Guglielmo MANTICA 1, 2 , Andrea BENELLI 3, Hilgard ACKERMANN 2, Zoliswa NXUMALO 2, Abdullwahed SOLAIMAN 2, Federico DOTTA 1, André van der MERWE 2, Carlo TERRONE 1

1 Department of Urology, San Martino Polyclinic Hospital, University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; 2 Department of Urology, Tygerberg Hospital, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa; 3 Department of Urology, ASST Rhodense, Garbagnate Milanese, Milan, Italy



INTRODUCTION: Carcinosarcoma of the kidney pelvis (CRP) is a rare but not exceptionally unique tumor in which in literature are reported almost only case studies and small series. We aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the disease, examining epidemiology, symptoms, pathological features, treatment and outcomes which are still missing, in order to offer a landmark paper to urologists which have to manage patients with this type of disease.
EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: A review of the current literature was conducted through the NCBI PubMed database in June 2017 following the updated PRISMA guidelines. The filters used for the research were: “carcinosarcoma renal pelvis,” “carcinosarcoma kidney pelvis,” and “urinary tract carcinosarcoma.” Only studies with confirmed histological diagnosis of CRP and a description of patient characteristics (demographics and/or pathological) were included in the review.
EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: Only 15 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The main symptom at presentation was macroscopic hematuria, followed by abdominal pain. The carcinomatous pattern made of transitional cell carcinoma in 73.3% of patients and squamous carcinoma in 33%, while the sarcomatoid was spindle cells in 40% of patients, chondrosarcoma and undifferentiated in 33.3%. Despite radical surgical treatment was performed in all patients, there are no articles reporting a survival rate of more than two years.
CONCLUSIONS: Carcinosarcoma of the kidney is a rare tumor of which little is known, especially about pathogenesis and oncological outcomes in the different therapeutic approaches described. Current literature is almost exclusively a case report that does not provide adequate information especially about survival and progression free survival. The creation of a shared database could in a matter of years lead us to increase the information about the oncological outcomes of the various possible treatments.


KEY WORDS: Carcinosarcoma; Kidney pelvis; Pathology; Systematic review

top of page