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Optimal Management of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: an Unmet Need

  • Genitourinary Cancers (S Gupta, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Opinion statement

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a rare genitourinary entity of the renal pelvis and the ureter characterized by a more aggressive disease phenotype when compared with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) with more than half of UTUC cases presenting with invasive disease at diagnosis compared to 20% for bladder tumors. There is growing evidence suggesting that its distinct natural history from that of bladder cancer can be related to several genetic and epigenetic differences. Treatment of low-risk disease consists of kidney-sparing surgeries such as ureteroscopic and percutaneous treatments, segmental ureterectomy, and adjuvant topical and intracavitary chemo-immunotherapies. The standard of care for high-risk non-metastatic disease remains radical nephroureterectomy and bladder cuff excision with increasing utilization rates of minimally invasive approaches leading to reduced morbidity without compromising outcomes while the role of lymphadenectomy is still being investigated. The prognosis of UTUC has been stagnant over the past decade highlighting the need for further studies on the role of multimodal therapy (neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy) to optimize management and improve outcomes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genitourinary Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Office 3155, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Mounsif Azizi MD

  2. Department of Genitourinary Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL, USA

    Salim K. Cheriyan MD, Charles C. Peyton MD & Philippe E. Spiess MD, MS

  3. Department of Urology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

    Beat Foerster MD & Shahrokh F. Shariat MD

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  1. Mounsif Azizi MD
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  2. Salim K. Cheriyan MD
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Azizi, M., Cheriyan, S.K., Peyton, C.C. et al. Optimal Management of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: an Unmet Need. Curr. Treat. Options in Oncol. 20, 40 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-019-0637-2

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