Percutaneous Nephrostomy in Patients with Tumors of Advanced Stage: Treatment Dilemmas and Impact on Clinical Course and Quality of Life

Abstract

Despite the fact that percutaneous nephrostomy has shown good safety characteristics and beneficial impact on renal function, only patients with specific cancers most likely to respond to ongoing palliative therapy or with cancers that progress slowly by nature may statistically benefit from the procedure. This questions the universal application of this procedure for all types and stages of advanced malignancy.