The lymphatic system in clinically localized urothelial carcinoma of the bladder: Morphologic characteristics and predictive value

Tumor location at trans-urethral resection is predictive of ipsilateral pelvic lymph-nodal metastases in patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer

OBJECTIVE

To assess whether tumor location at diagnostic TURBT is predictive of ipsilateral nodal involvement in patients who underwent radical cystectomy (RC) with lymph-nodes dissection for bladder cancer (BCa).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

All patients who underwent RC for BCa at a single institution between 2014-2023 were assessed. Tumor location at TURBT was defined as right-sided, median-line, left-sided, and diffused. Distribution in the percentage of ipsilateral positive lymph-nodes and number of ipsilateral positive lymph-nodes between tumor locations were assessed with Kruskal-Wallis tests. Linear regressions were fitted to assess whether left or right location, compared to the remaining locations grouped, was associated to the percentage and number of positive ipsilateral lymph-nodes.

RESULTS

239 patients were included. The number of ipsilateral positive lymph nodes was superior in right-sided tumors when compared to the rest of the bladder (0, I.Q.R. 0-1 vs. 0, I.Q.R. 0-0, P = 0.047), as well as the percentage of ipsilateral positive lymph-nodes (0, I.Q.R. 0-14.3 vs. 0, I.Q.R. 0-3.7, P = 0.042). The number of ipsilateral positive lymph-nodes in left-sided tumors was superior when compared to the rest of the bladder (0, I.Q.R. 0-1 vs. 0, I.Q.R. 0-0, P = 0.02), as well as the percentage (0, I.Q.R. 0-13.7 vs. 0, I.Q.R. 0-0, P = 0.036). At linear regression analyses, right- and left-sided tumors were associated with an increased percentage of ipsilateral positive lymph-nodes (P = 0,019 and P = 0,003) out of the total ipsilateral lymph-nodes excised.

CONCLUSIONS

Lateral wall tumor location at diagnostic TURBT (either right or left side) predicts a higher percentage of ipsilateral positive lymph-nodes s/p RC.

Tumour microenvironment as a predictive factor for immunotherapy in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Bladder cancer (BC) can be divided into two subgroups depending on invasion of the muscular layer: non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Its aggressiveness is associated, inter alia, with genetic aberrations like losses of 1p, 6q, 9p, 9q and 13q; gain of 5p; or alterations in the p53 and p16 pathways. Moreover, there are reported metabolic disturbances connected with poor diagnosis-for example, enhanced aerobic glycolysis, gluconeogenesis or haem catabolism.Currently, the primary way of treatment method is transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (TURBT) with adjuvant Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy for NMIBC or radical cystectomy for MIBC combined with chemotherapy or immunotherapy. However, intravesical BCG immunotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors are not efficient in every case, so appropriate biomarkers are needed in order to select the proper treatment options. It seems that the success of immunotherapy depends mainly on the tumour microenvironment (TME), which reflects the molecular disturbances in the tumour. TME consists of specific conditions like hypoxia or local acidosis and different populations of immune cells including tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, natural killer cells, neutrophils and B lymphocytes, which are responsible for shaping the response against tumour neoantigens and crucial pathways like the PD-L1/PD-1 axis.In this review, we summarise holistically the impact of the immune system, genetic alterations and metabolic changes that are key factors in immunotherapy success. These findings should enable better understanding of the TME complexity in case of NMIBC and causes of failures of current therapies.

The Role of PROX1 in Neoplasia: A Key Player Often Overlooked

The human PROX1 gene (Prospero homeobox gene 1) is a member of the homeobox transcription factor family. PROX1 plays a key role in the development of the lymphatic system and is primarily used as a lymphatic vessel marker. However, as the accumulating evidence indicates that PROX1 is also implicated in the tumorigenesis of various cancer types, the scientific community has attempted to elucidate its complicated function in neoplasia pathogenesis, as well as its utility in cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. PROX1 has been shown to participate in the complex molecular mechanisms affecting tumorigenesis and has been associated with a plethora of clinicopathological parameters, including tumor stage and patients’ overall survival. Depending on the specific organ affected, PROX1 has exhibited both tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressing properties, with its inhibition and reactivation representing possible novel therapeutic interventions, respectively. Moreover, researchers have reported PROX1 as a useful tool in the fields of diagnosis and prognosis assessment. The current study aims to summarize and present the existing data that render PROX1 a novel and useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarker, as well as a possible therapeutic target.

Lymphatic metastasis of bladder cancer: Molecular mechanisms, diagnosis and targeted therapy

Bladder cancer is the most common and lethal cancer of the urinary system. Lymphatic metastasis is the primary and main metastatic type of bladder cancer, leading to an extremely poor prognosis in patients. Therefore, a better understanding of molecular mechanisms may provide potential targets for the diagnosis and treatment of lymphatic metastasis in bladder cancer. Herein, we summarize the current knowledge of molecular mechanisms of the lymphatic metastasis in bladder cancer, including lymphangiogenesis and its regulators, noncoding RNAs, and microenvironment-associated molecules. Novel radiomics and genomics approaches have substantially improved the preoperative diagnostic accuracy of lymph node metastasis in patients with bladder cancer. Newly discovered targets may lead to promising therapeutic strategies for clinical intervention in lymphatic metastasis of bladder cancer. More basic and translational studies need to be conducted to further clarify the molecular mechanisms, and identify predictive markers and therapeutic targets of lymphatic metastasis for bladder cancer patients.

Communication Of Cancer Cells And Lymphatic Vessels In Cancer: Focus On Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide and causes the highest lifetime treatment costs per patient. Bladder cancer is most likely to metastasize through lymphatic ducts, and once the lymph nodes are involved, the prognosis is poorly and finitely improved by current modalities. The underlying metastatic mechanism for bladder cancer is thus becoming a research focus to date. To identify relevant published data, an online search of the PubMed/Medline archives was performed to locate original articles and review articles regarding lymphangiogenesis and lymphatic metastasis in urinary bladder cancer (UBC), and was limited to articles in English published between 1998 and 2018. A further search of the clinical trials.gov search engine was conducted to identify both trials with results available and those with results not yet available. Herein, we summarized the unique mechanisms and biomarkers involved in the malignant progression of bladder cancer as well as their emerging roles in therapeutics, and that current data suggests that lymphangiogenesis and lymph node invasion are important prognostic factors for UBC. The growing knowledge about their roles in bladder cancers provides the basis for novel therapeutic strategies. In addition, more basic and clinical research needs to be conducted in order to identify further accurate predictive molecules and relevant mechanisms.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of lymphovascular invasion in bladder cancer transurethral resection specimens

The aim of the present review was to assess the prognostic impact of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) in transurethral resection (TUR) of bladder cancer (BCa) specimens on clinical outcomes. A systematic review and meta-analysis of the available literature from the past 10 years was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane library in August 2017. The protocol for this systematic review was registered on PROSPERO (Central Registration Depository: CRD42018084876) and is available in full on the University of York website. Overall, 33 studies (including 6194 patients) evaluating the presence of LVI at TUR were retrieved. LVI was detected in 17.3% of TUR specimens. In 19 studies, including 2941 patients with ≤cT1 stage only, LVI was detected in 15% of specimens. In patients with ≤cT1 stage, LVI at TUR of the bladder tumour (TURBT) was a significant prognostic factor for disease recurrence (pooled hazard ratio [HR] 1.97, 95% CI: 1.47-2.62) and progression (pooled HR 2.95, 95% CI: 2.11-4.13), without heterogeneity (I² = 0.0%, P = 0.84 and I² = 0.0%, P = 0.93, respectively). For patients with cT1-2 disease, LVI was significantly associated with upstaging at time of radical cystectomy (pooled odds ratio 2.39, 95% CI: 1.45-3.96), with heterogeneity among studies (I² = 53.6%, P = 0.044). LVI at TURBT is a robust prognostic factor of disease recurrence and progression in non-muscle invasive BCa. Furthermore, LVI has a strong impact on upstaging in patients with organ-confined disease. The assessment of LVI should be standardized, reported, and considered for inclusion in the TNM classification system, helping clinicians in decision-making and patient counselling.

The prognostic role of lymphovascular invasion in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder

Outcome prediction in patients with bladder cancer has improved through the development of nomograms and predictive models. However, integration of further characteristics such as lymphovascular invasion (LVI) might increase the accuracy and clinical utility of these instruments. Assessment and reporting of LVI in specimens from transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (TURBT) or biopsy in patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) or muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) might enable improved staging, prognostication and clinical decision-making. In NMIBC, presence of LVI in TURBT and biopsy samples seems to be associated with understaging and increased risks of disease recurrence and progression. In MIBC, presence of LVI is associated with features of aggressive disease and predicts recurrence and survival. Integration of LVI status into predictive models might aid clinical decision-making regarding intravesical instillation schedules and regimens, early radical cystectomy in patients with high-grade T1 disease and perioperative chemotherapy. However, LVI assessment is hampered by insufficient reproducibility and reliability, lack of routine evaluation and limited concordance between findings in TURBT and radical cystectomy specimens. Standardization of the pathological criteria defining LVI is warranted to improve its reporting in routine clinical practice and its utility as a care-changing prognostic marker.

Tumor lymphangiogenesis and new drug development

Traditionally, tumor-associated lymphatic vessels have been regarded as passive by-standers, serving simply as a drainage system for interstitial fluid generated within the tumor. However, with growing evidence that tumors actively induce lymphangiogenesis, and that the number of lymphatic vessels closely correlates with metastasis and clinical outcome in various types of cancer, this picture has changed dramatically in recent years. Tumor-associated lymphatic vessels have now emerged as a valid therapeutic target to control metastatic disease, and the first specific anti-lymphangiogenic drugs have recently entered clinical testing. Furthermore, we are just beginning to understand the whole functional spectrum of tumor-associated lymphatic vessels, which not only concerns transport of fluid and metastatic cells, but also includes the regulation of cancer stemness and specific inhibition of immune responses, opening new venues for therapeutic applications. Therefore, we predict that specific targeting of lymphatic vessels and their function will become an important tool for future cancer treatment.

[Invasion patterns and metastasis of urothelial carcinoma. A challenge for translational research]

Local invasion of cancer cells occurs early during the progression of urothelial carcinoma. Micrometastatic disease and the presence of nodal metastases are major causes of cancer-specific mortality following radical surgery. Only surrogate markers for aggressive and micrometastatic disease have been identified. The metastatic cascade is complex, including multiple steps from initial invasion to colonization and proliferation at distant sites. The initial mechanisms of cancer cell dissemination in urothelial carcinoma are poorly understood. Various proteases, chemokines and growth factors are involved in this process and alterations of the lymphatic system may promote systemic spread. There is a high demand for therapeutic targeting of the metastatic process. Functional preclinical studies in representative models are therefore required to better elucidate the multiple steps of progression. We review the current knowledge on factors associated with metastasis in urothelial carcinoma. Preclinical approaches to identify key player molecules for invasion and to develop new therapeutic strategies are discussed.