Stent-grafts in endovascular management of iliofemoral venous StSentetn-gtr-garftasf tisn i nen ednodvoavsacsucluarla mr amnaangaegmeemnetn otf o ifl iiolfioemfeomroarl avle vneonuosus Stent-grafts in endovascular management of iliofemoral venous occlusions caused by urologic pelvic malignancies ococcluclsuiosniosn csa cuasuesde bdy b uy ruorlogloicg ipce plveilcv imc amliaglnigannacniecsies occlusions caused by urologic pelvic malignancies Introduction Introduction

Introduction Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the industrial world and worldwide. As life expectancy worldwide continues to increase, so will cases of cancer. Bladder cancer is the sixth most common cancer found in adults, and its incidence has been increasing over the past 30 years. The highest incidence rates of bladder cancer are found in industrial countries, such as the United States, Canada, France, Denmark, Italy and Spain. Bladder cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in people over 75 years old.1 By the end of the 20th Century 60 000 new cases of bladder cancer were reported annually in the United States and 75 000 in Europe. In the United States its incidence increased by about 10% between 1973 and 1991.1 Currently patients with non-metastatic invasive primary bladder tumors are treated by endoscopic resection for grading and staging of the tumor. The endourological procedure may be followed by radical cystectomy and a bladder replacement surgery, during which are removed the prostate and the seminal vesicles in males, and the uterus, ovaries and a part of the vagina with the urethra are removed in females. Ninety-four per cent of urologists treat the bladder cancer surgically only when the tumor is superficial, without evidence of local or distant spread. Patients who refuse surgery or are not fit for surgery are referred to radiation oncologists for external beam therapy, or those with distant metastases are referred to oncologists for chemotherapy.