Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Ureter: Prognostic Factors Influencing Progression and Survival (original) (raw)

Factors affecting the survival of patients treated by standard nephroureterectomy for transitional cell carcinoma of the upper urinary tract

… urology and nephrology, 2006

Purpose: In this study we tried to evaluate the predictive factors for survival in patients with upper urinary tract tumors. Materials and methods: From 1993 to 2003, 46 patients were treated by standard nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract tumor, but only 24 patients (52%) who had regular follow-up were included in the study. Age, sex, presenting symptoms of the patients, tumor localization, tumor stage and grade were analyzed with respect to survival. Univariate and multivariate analyses were done using Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test and Cox proportional hazards regression model, respectively. Results: The median of patient age was 61 years (34-74). Of the 24 patients, 9 (37.5%) were disease-free and alive at a mean time of 54 (26-97) months, 8 (33.3%) died of disease at a mean period of 23.4 months (2 because of bladder tumor, 2 had liver metastases, 1 had lung metastasis and 3 had lung and liver metastases) and 7 (29.2%) died disease-free at a mean period of 30.3 months. Metastases were detected in a mean period of 11.8 (6-24) months. Survival according to tumor stage Ta, T1-2, and invasive tumors were 87.5, 43.9, 15.7 months (p=0.0001), respectively. Survival of the patients with low-grade tumors was significantly longer than those with high-grade tumors (77.3 and 31.4 months, respectively, p=0.01). Patients with pelvis tumors when compared to ureter tumors (28.5 and 61.6 months, respectively, p=0.038) and those presenting with flank pain when compared to those presenting with macroscopic hematuria and bladder cancer (17.7, 45.7, and 57.9 months, respectively, p=0.046) had shorter survival rates. When multivariate analyses were done using Cox regression test, the only factor that affected survival was the stage of the tumor. Age and gender had no impact on survival. Conclusions: In univariate analysis, the stage, grade, localization of the tumor and presenting symptoms were found important predictors that affect the prognosis of the transitional carcinoma of the upper tract. However, tumor stage was the only independent predictor of survival in multivariate analysis. For high grade and high stage tumors, really effective adjuvant treatments along with aggressive surgery may be considered.

Significance of T stadium and grading as prognostic factors in transitional cell carcinoma of the ureter

Anticancer research

Surgery is nowadays the standard treatment for carcinoma of the ureter, even if adjuvant therapies can modify the prognosis in selected patients. Because of the small number of patients in the literature series, the significance of prognostic factors that can be used in clinical practice is still controversial, as is the choice of the most suitable surgical and adjuvant treatment. We considered 27 consecutive patients (Ta-T2 N0 M0) who underwent radical surgery (nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision and lymphoadenectomy) for transitional cell carcinoma of the ureter, from 1982 through 1992. Seven patients (25.9%) had Ta tumors, 7 patients (25.9%) had T1 tumors and 13 patients (48.2%) had T2 tumors. In 4 cases (14.8%) the tumor was well-differentiated (G1), in 14 cases (51.8%) it was mildly-differentiated (G2), and in 9 cases (33.4%) it was poorly-differentiated. Thirteen of the 14 patients affected by Ta-T1 tumors were alive 10 years after surgery (one patient lost at follow...

Prognostic factors and significance of chemotherapy in patients with recurrent or metastatic transitional cell cancer of the urinary tract

Cancer, 1994

Background. Prognostic factors for patients with disseminated transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium (TCC) has been examined only in patients selected for studies with chemotherapy. This study was performed to determine important prognostic factors in patients with disseminated TCC and evaluate the impact of chemotherapy * Methods. The prognostic factors for survival were analyzed in 240 patients with disseminated TCC admitted from 1976 to 1992. Information on prior medical history, baseline variables, and treatment were related to survival after dissemination. Both univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify factors of independent importance.

Prognostic factors in urothelial renal pelvis and ureter tumours: a multicentre Rare Cancer Network study

European Journal of Cancer, 1999

To assess the prognostic factors in patients with transitional-cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis and/or ureter, a series of 138 patients with transitional-cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis and/or ureter was collected in a retrospective multicentre study. 12 patients with distant metastases were excluded from the statistical evaluation. All but 3 patients underwent radical surgery: nephroureterectomy (n = 71), nephroureterectomy and lymphadenectomy (n = 20), nephroureterectomy and partial bladder resection or transurethral resection (n = 20), nephrectomy (n = 10), and ureterectomy (n = 5). Sixty-one per cent (n = 77) of the tumours were located in the renal pelvis, and 21% (n = 27) in the ureter (both in 22 [17%]). Following surgery, residual tumour was still present in 33 patients (16 microscopic and 17 macroscopic). Postoperative radiotherapy was given to 45 (36%) patients. The median follow-up period was 39 months. In a median period of 9 months, 66% of the patients relapsed (34 local, 7 locoregional, 16 regional, and 24 distant). The 5-and 10-year survival were 29% and 19%, respectively, in all patients. In univariate analyses, statistically signi®cant factors in¯uencing the outcome were Karnofsky index, pT-classi®cation, pN-classi®cation, tumour localisation, grade, and residual tumour after surgery. Multivariate analysis revealed that independent prognostic factors in¯uencing outcome were pT-classi®cation, the existence of residual tumour, and tumour localisation. In patients with urothelial renal pelvis and/or ureter tumours, a radical surgical attitude is mandatory; and the presence of tumour in the ureter is associated with a poorer prognosis. #

Prognostic factors in urothelial renal pelvis and ureter tumours: a multicentre Rare Cancer Network study 1 Presented at the 39th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology, Orlando, Florida, 19–23 October 1997. 1

To assess the prognostic factors in patients with transitional-cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis and/or ureter, a series of 138 patients with transitional-cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis and/or ureter was collected in a retrospective multicentre study. 12 patients with distant metastases were excluded from the statistical evaluation. All but 3 patients underwent radical surgery: nephroureterectomy (n = 71), nephroureterectomy and lymphadenectomy (n = 20), nephroureterectomy and partial bladder resection or transurethral resection (n = 20), nephrectomy (n = 10), and ureterectomy (n = 5). Sixty-one per cent (n = 77) of the tumours were located in the renal pelvis, and 21% (n = 27) in the ureter (both in 22 [17%]). Following surgery, residual tumour was still present in 33 patients (16 microscopic and 17 macroscopic). Postoperative radiotherapy was given to 45 (36%) patients. The median follow-up period was 39 months. In a median period of 9 months, 66% of the patients relapsed (34 local, 7 locoregional, 16 regional, and 24 distant). The 5-and 10-year survival were 29% and 19%, respectively, in all patients. In univariate analyses, statistically signi®cant factors in¯uencing the outcome were Karnofsky index, pT-classi®cation, pN-classi®cation, tumour localisation, grade, and residual tumour after surgery. Multivariate analysis revealed that independent prognostic factors in¯uencing outcome were pT-classi®cation, the existence of residual tumour, and tumour localisation. In patients with urothelial renal pelvis and/or ureter tumours, a radical surgical attitude is mandatory; and the presence of tumour in the ureter is associated with a poorer prognosis. #

Transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis and ureter: Outcome and patterns of relapse in patients treated with postoperative radiation

Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations, 1996

We assessed the records of IO I patients with locally advanced transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the renal pelvis and ureter treated with postoperative radiation therapy to determine outcome and patterns of failure. Locally advanced disease (i.e., T3-4N0 or N+ disease) was identified in 65 patients. Postoperative radiation was used to treat 86 patients, with a median dose of 35 Gy in 20 fractions over 4 weeks to the tumor bed and regional lymph nodes. There were I5 patients with no residual disease who were offered no further therapy. No patient received postoperative chemotherapy. Prognostic factors were examined using univariate and multivariate analysis, and the patterns of failure were identified after postoperative irradiation. Median follow-up was 9.3 years, during which 76 deaths occurred. The 5-year overall survival was 43% and I O-year survival was 23%. A multivariate analysis identified T3 category, lymph node involvement, and age at diagnosis as significant prognostic factors for survival. Tumor grade was a significant prognostic factor on univariate analysis but not on multivariate analysis. Failure analysis showed that only 36% of patients with locally advanced disease remained relapse free. For this group of patients, distant metastases developed in 53%, and locoregional failure occurred in 35% despite postoperative irradiation. Locoregional failure occurred in 95% of patients with nodal involvement who received postoperative radiation, and 77% of those developed distant relapse. This leads us to conclude that patients with resected locally advanced (T3, T4N0, N+) TCC of the upper urinary tracts have a high risk of relapse and death from disease despite postoperative radiotherapy. Because the main feature of the disease is early distant failure, postoperative chemotherapy is required to improve the outcome for this group of patients.