The pillar of treatment for renal pelvis cancer and ureteral cancer is surgical treatment, which is performed by a precise and less burdensome method using a laparoscope. Surgery by laparotomy may be performed depending on the condition of the cancer.

Chemotherapy may be given before or after surgery to increase the effectiveness of the treatment. Chemotherapy is also considered for patients with distant metastases. If your kidneys are not working well or if you have only one kidney, consider other treatments that suit your condition.

The place where urine produced in the kidneys collects is called the renal pelvis, which is inside the kidney and has a funnel-like shape. Urine flows from the renal pelvis into the ureter and then into the bladder. The insides of the renal pelvis, ureter, and bladder are all covered with a mucous membrane called urothelium, and the characteristics of cancer that develops in them are the same, but the treatment methods for renal pelvis/ureter cancer and bladder cancer are different.

In the case of renal pelvis and ureter cancer, the mainstay of treatment is surgical therapy to remove the kidney and ureter on the side where the cancer is present, as well as part of the ureter and bladder (only the part of the ureter where it enters the bladder).

The most common symptom of renal pelvis and ureter cancer is hematuria. It may be accompanied by back pain, but it is not uncommon for the patient to only experience hematuria. There may be no symptoms, and the cancer may be discovered by chance during a CT or ultrasound scan taken for another purpose.

If renal pelvis or ureteral cancer is suspected, CT or MRI scans using contrast agents and urine cytology tests will be performed.

To confirm the diagnosis, ureteroscopy and retrograde pyelography are performed. Ureteroscopy is an examination in which a thin endoscope is inserted through the urethra and passed through the bladder to observe the ureter and renal pelvis. A biopsy (taking a part of the cancer) can be performed at the same time. Retrograde pyelography is an examination in which an endoscope inserted through the urethra is used to inject a contrast agent into the ureter and renal pelvis to check for any parts that have become misshapen due to cancer. These examinations are usually performed under anesthesia while hospitalized.