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Predictive factors of recurrence and survival of upper tract urothelial carcinomas

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Abstract

Objective

UTUCC is a rare tumor, and most reports on prognostic factors come from small single-center series. The objective of this article was to provide an updated overview of current clinical, pathological and biological prognostic factors of UTUC.

Methods

PubMed was searched for records from 2002 to 2010 using the terms “prognostic factors”, “recurrence”, “survival”, and “upper tract urothelial carcinoma”. Among identified citations, papers were selected based on their clinical relevance.

Results

Classical clinical factors that influence UTUC prognosis include age, presence of symptoms, hydronephrosis, and interval from diagnosis. Many biomarkers have shown promises to better appraise the natural course of UTUC although none is currently used in clinical practice. Stage, grade, lymph node metastases, lymphovascular invasion, tumor necrosis, and tumor architecture are strong pathological parameters. RNU is the standard treatment of localized UTUC. Both laparoscopic and open approaches seem to offer similar cancer control. Lymph node dissection increases staging accuracy and might confer a survival benefit.

Conclusion

RNU is the standard treatment for most patients with UTUC. Recent multicenter studies confirmed the prognostic value of classical prognostic parameters. Better survival prediction might be obtained with prognostic systems including clinical data and new biomarkers.

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Abbreviations

CIS:

Carcinoma in situ

CSM:

Cancer-specific mortality

LN:

Lymph node

LVI:

Lymphovascular invasion

RNU:

Radical nephroureterectomy

SEER:

Surveillance epidemiology and end results

TNM:

Tumor, nodes, and metastases

UTUC:

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma

UTUCC:

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma collaboration

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, CHU Rennes, University of Rennes, Rennes, France

    Grégory Verhoest & Karim Bensalah

  2. Department of Urology, Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Shahrokh F. Shariat, Thomas F. Chromecki & Douglas S. Scherr

  3. Division of Medical Oncology, Cornell University Medical College, New York, NY, USA

    Shahrokh F. Shariat, Thomas F. Chromecki & Douglas S. Scherr

  4. Department of Urology, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA

    Shahrokh F. Shariat

  5. Department of Urology, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria

    Thomas F. Chromecki

  6. Department of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA

    Jay D. Raman & Vitaly Margulis

  7. Department of Urology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy

    Giacomo Novara

  8. Department of Urology, Hospital Barmherzige Brüder Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Christian Seitz

  9. Department of Urology, Hospital Weinviertel-Korneuburg, Korneuburg, Austria

    Mesut Remzi

  10. Department of Urology, La Pitié Salpétrière Hospital, Paris, France

    Morgan Rouprêt

  11. Department of Urology, Rennes University Hospital, Rue Henri Le Guillou, 35033, Rennes Cedex, France

    Karim Bensalah

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  1. Grégory Verhoest
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  2. Shahrokh F. Shariat
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  3. Thomas F. Chromecki
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  4. Jay D. Raman
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  5. Vitaly Margulis
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  6. Giacomo Novara
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  7. Christian Seitz
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  8. Mesut Remzi
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  9. Morgan Rouprêt
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  10. Douglas S. Scherr
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  11. Karim Bensalah
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karim Bensalah.

Additional information

G. Verhoest and S. F. Shariat contributed equally to this work.

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Verhoest, G., Shariat, S.F., Chromecki, T.F. et al. Predictive factors of recurrence and survival of upper tract urothelial carcinomas. World J Urol 29, 495–501 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-011-0710-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00345-011-0710-3

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