Prognostic serum markers in patients with high-grade upper tract urothelial carcinoma

Simple predictors for the completion of scheduled gemcitabine‑cisplatin regimens based on real‑world urothelial cancer data

Gemcitabine plus cisplatin (GC) is the standard first line of chemotherapy for urothelial carcinoma. However, it is often difficult to complete scheduled GC therapy because of real-world adverse events. Therefore, the reasons behind delays, scheduled cancelations and determined predictive factors for completing scheduled GC therapy were retrospectively analyzed. Patients diagnosed with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma from 2009 to 2020 received a 4-week GC therapy schedule in Oita University Hospital. Information was retrospectively extracted from medical records and all cycles were divided into two groups: One wherein all treatments were administered and completed on schedule and the other wherein treatment was either delayed or canceled in during the treatment schedule. Predictive factors were then statistically extracted between the two groups. In total, 70 patients received 201 cycles of a 4-week scheduled GC therapy. Of the 201 cycles, a total of 68 (33.8%) completed all scheduled treatments, while 133 (66.1%) did not complete the treatment as scheduled. In the group where administration was not completed on schedule, the factors of male, ureteral cancer, lower stage, <90% of gemcitabine and cisplatin dosage, solitary kidney, high creatinine level, low estimated glomerular filtration rate level, low platelet count and high alkaline phosphatase level at the initiation of each cycle were more significant. Additionally, the lowest anticancer drug percentage administration was on day 15. From these results, predictive factors for patients with various backgrounds who completed the scheduled 4-week GC therapy based on real-world data were identified. This information can be useful for clinical physicians when deciding the course of treatment.

Clinicopathological and Prognostic Significance of Preoperative Prognostic Nutritional Index in Patients with Upper Urinary Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

To investigate the prognostic value of preoperative prognostic nutritional index (PNI) to predict oncological outcome and intravesical recurrence (IVR) in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU).

This study involved the clinical data of 255 patients with UTUC who had undergone RNU from 2004 to 2019 at our institution. Patients were grouped according to an optimal value of preoperative PNI. Kaplan-Meier analyses and Cox proportional hazards models were used to analyze the associations of preoperative PNI with progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), overall survival (OS), and IVR.

Patients with low PNI were more likely to be older, have higher tumor stage, higher eGFR, and multifocal lesions. No significant association was found between PNI and CSS, IVR. In subgroup analysis according to the risk stratification, low PNI was associated with worse PFS, CSS, and OS for patients with higher risk. Multivariate analyses showed that elevated PNI was an independent prognostic indicator for PFS (P = 0.014) and OS (P = 0.048).

A low PNI is an independent predictor of PFS and OS in patients with UTUC after RNU. By subgroup analysis, the prognostic value of PNI was limited to patients with higher risk. PNI may become a useful biomarker to predict oncological outcomes in patients with UTUC after RNU.

The prognostic significance of controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score for surgically treated renal cell cancer and upper urinary tract urothelial cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

In order to evaluate the predictive effect of the controlled nutritional status (CONUT) score on the prognosis of patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), a meta-analysis was performed. This systematic review has been registered on PROSPERO, the registration ID is CRD42021251879. A systematic search of the published literature using PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and MEDLINE was performed. The fields of "renal cell cancer," "upper tract urothelial cancer," and "controlling nutritional status" and other fields were used as search terms. STATA 16 software was used to carry out data merging and statistical analysis of binary variables, Q test and χ² tests were used to verify the heterogeneity between the included works of studies. Subgroup analysis and sensitivity analysis were used to explain the sources of heterogeneity between studies. Begg's test was used to assess publication bias between studies. From the first 542 studies retrieved, through strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, 7 studies finally met the requirements and were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled results indicated that high CONUT indicates worse over survival (OS) [HR = 1.70, 95% CI (1.43-2.03), P = 0.02], cancer-specific survival (CSS) [HR = 1.84, 95% CI (1.52-2.23), P = 0.01], recurrence-free survival (RFS) [HR = 1.60, 95% CI (1.26-2.03), P = 0.116], and disease-free survival (DFS) [HR = 1.47, 95% CI (1.20-1.81), P = 0.03]. Based on cancer type, cutoff value, region, and sample size, a subgroup analysis was performed. The results showed that OS and CSS were not affected by the above factors, and the high CONUT score before surgery predicted worse OS and CSS. In conclusion, this meta-analysis revealed that the preoperative CONUT score is a potential independent predictor of the postoperative prognosis of RCC/UTUC patients. A high CONUT predicts worse OS/CSS/DFS and RFS in patients.

Albumin-to-Alkaline Phosphatase Ratio as a Novel Prognostic Marker of Nivolumab Monotherapy for Previously Treated Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

BACKGROUND/AIM

The relationship between albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) and the outcome of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors remains unresolved. We aimed to clarify the prognostic role of AAPR in nivolumab monotherapy for previously treated mRCC.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We retrospectively evaluated 60 patients with mRCC treated with nivolumab after failure of at least one molecular targeted therapy. The patients were stratified into two groups based on the baseline AAPR. The threshold of AAPR was determined using receiver-operating characteristics and Youden index analyses. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and objective response rate (ORR) of nivolumab therapy were compared between the high and low AAPR groups.

RESULTS

The threshold of AAPR was set at 0.3, and 20 patients (33%) were assigned to the low AAPR group. The median OS and PFS were significantly lower in the low AAPR group than those in the high group (OS: 8.3 months vs. not reached, p<0.0001; PFS: 2.9 vs. 10.4 months, p=0.0006). Moreover, ORR was significantly lower in the low AAPR group than in the high group (16% vs. 45%, p=0.0397). Multivariate analyses further showed that AAPR was an independent factor for OS [HR=0.27 (95% CI=0.09-0.77), p=0.0151] but not for PFS (p=0.174).

CONCLUSION

Baseline AAPR was significantly associated with outcome in patients with mRCC receiving nivolumab monotherapy and may, therefore, constitute an effective prognostic factor for nivolumab treatment.

Preoperative Risk Classification Using Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and Albumin for Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma Treated with Radical Nephroureterectomy

Purpose

To improve the preoperative prediction of the outcomes of patients diagnosed with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) treated with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU), we explored various preoperative laboratory factors and established a prognostic risk stratification method.

Patients and Methods

We retrospectively reviewed 232 UTUC patients who underwent RNU from September 2010 to October 2019 and analyzed their comprehensive clinicopathologic data and preoperative blood-based biomarkers. Kaplan–Meier analysis, receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves analysis and Cox regression analysis were performed to assess the relationship between these factors and the prognosis.

Results

The median follow-up and age were 24 months and 68.5 years, respectively. Preoperative elevated neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR > 3.44) and decreased albumin (ALB < 39.8 g/L) were negatively correlated with progression-free survival (PFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Patients were sorted into three groups based on their NLR and ALB: the low-risk group (neither elevated NLR nor decreased ALB), intermediate-risk group (either elevated NLR or decreased ALB) and high-risk group (elevated NLR and decreased ALB). Their 5-year PFS rates were 77.8%, 52.6% and 32.3%; their 5-year CSS rates were 97.7%, 71.4% and 32.9%; and their 5-year OS rates were 92.7%, 70.4% and 29.2%, respectively (all P < 0.0001). ROC curves analysis showed that NLR plus ALB had a more accurate prognostic value (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Preoperative risk classification using NLR and ALB was identified as an independent prognostic factor for patients with UTUC. The combination of NLR and ALB may help to determine the most appropriate treatment options before RNU.

Case report: Acute hepatic failure secondary to metastatic LIVER'S infiltration by upper tract urothelial carcinoma

Introduction

Acute liver failure (ALF) secondary to malignant infiltration of the liver from urothelial carcinoma is a very rare clinical condition and is often diagnosed only after death. Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a rare, from 5% to 10% of all urothelial tumours, but possible cause of ALF when there is extensive liver metastatic involvement. We report the case of a patient who died in the intensive care unit (ICU) of our hospital from multiple organ failure (MOF) secondary to ALF, as a result of infiltration of the liver from UTUC diagnosed after surgery.

PRESENTATION OF THE CASE: A 69-year-old Caucasian man was referred to our hospital for hematuria, melena, right upper quadrant (RUQ) pain and jaundice developed over the previous two weeks. After multidisciplinary discussion, he underwent emergency exploratory laparotomy to perform cholecystectomy because of suspected acute cholecystitis considered as a septic focus within the left kidney. He developed MOF and died on the 6th postoperative day.

Discussion

From the diagnosis of the renal mass and the death of the patient, a few days have passed, and the diagnosis of UTUC has been put only at histological examination.The most common sites of metastases from UTUC are lymph nodes, lungs, liver, bones and peritoneum. Moreover, liver metastases have been identified to have an independent negative impact on overall survival in a patient affected by UTUC.

Conclusion

The authors suggest that this condition should be taken into account when dealing with patients with evidence of a renal mass and simultaneous ALF.

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Unusual clinical presentation of acute liver failure from upper urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).

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Rarely these diseases are managed in the emergency setting.

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This condition should be taken into account when dealing with patients with evidence of a renal mass and simultaneous ALF.

An elevated preoperative serum calcium level is a significant predictor for positive peritoneal cytology in endometrial carcinoma

Objective

To evaluate preoperative serum calcium concentration and investigate the association between calcium level and positive peritoneal cytology in endometrial carcinoma (EC).

Methods

A total of 510 patients who were diagnosed with EC and had surgery were initially enrolled in this study at Peking University People’s Hospital between January 2012 and December 2016. Clinical characteristics and preoperative serum calcium, albumin, carbohydrate antigen (CA)125, CA19-9, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) were extracted from patient records and evaluated according to postoperative peritoneal cytology. Predictive factors were assessed with Cox univariate and multivariate analyses. Factors selected from multivariate analysis results were used to build a predictive model.

Results

A total of 510 patients are identified in our database and 444 patients who fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria are included in this study. Univariate analysis revealed that ionized calcium concentration was closely related to positive peritoneal cytology, tumor grade and lymph-vascular space invasion (LVSI). Moreover, peritoneal cytology was significantly associated with hypertension, tubal ligation, serum CA125, CA19-9, CEA and ionized calcium level. Multivariate analysis revealed that albumin-adjusted calcium level, CA125 and tubal ligation were independent predictive factors of positive peritoneal cytology (P<0.05). A combination of ionized calcium level with the other two indexes yielded significantly great area under the curve (AUC=0.824).

Conclusions

This study enhanced the value of preoperative ionized calcium level. We also identified several potential biomarkers to predict positive peritoneal cytology in EC patients before surgery.

Validation of the preoperative controlling nutritional status score as an independent predictor in a large Chinese cohort of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Pretreatment controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score is a novel index which was used to predict outcomes in cancer patients. We aim to explore the prognostic significance of CONUT score in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A total of 662 UTUC patients between 2004 and 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were categorized into three groups based on CONUT score (Normal: 0-1; Light: 2-4; Moderate/severe: 5-12). Associations of CONUT score with oncological outcomes were analyzed using Logistic and Cox regression analysis. Harrell concordance index was used to assess the predictive accuracy of the multivariate models. Subgroup analyses were conducted according to tumor grade and stage.

RESULTS

The median follow-up duration was 41 months. Multivariate Logistic analysis showed that high CONUT score was independently associated with high-grade disease, high pT stage, lymphovascular invasion, sessile carcinoma, variant histology, and positive surgical margins (each P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that CONUT score 5-12 was an independent factor for worse cancer-specific survival (CSS, hazard ratio [HR]:2.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.55-3.68, P < 0.0001), disease recurrence-free-survival (RFS, HR: 1.80, 95% CI 1.24-2.60, P = 0.002), and overall survival (OS, HR: 2.26, 95% CI 1.53-3.34, P < 0.0001). The estimated c-index of the multivariate models for CSS, RFS, and OS increased from 0.755, 0.715 and 0.745 to 0.772, 0.723, and 0.756 when CONUT score supplemented. Subgroup analyses showed that especially in patients with high-grade carcinoma and advanced stage (≥pT3), higher CONUT score predicts decreased CSS, RFS, and OS (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Preoperative CONUT score is a negative independent prognostic indicator for both pathologic and survival outcomes in UTUC, especially in those with high-grade carcinoma and advanced stage. Adding this parameter into our clinical prediction model is appropriate so as to improve its predictive accuracy.

Is preoperative serum lactate dehydrogenase useful in predicting the outcomes of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma?

Background

Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) has been proved to be associated with clinical outcomes in various carcinomas; however, limited evidence was available in upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic impact of LDH in UTUC.

Patients and methods

A cohort of 668 patients WERE retrospectively included between 2003 and 2016. Kaplan‐Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to evaluate the association of LDH with overall survival (OS), cancer‐specific survival (CSS), disease recurrence‐free survival (RFS), and metastasis‐free survival (MFS). The cutoff level of LDH was set at 220 U/L for the upper limit of normal.

Results

Kaplan‐Meier plots showed the group with elevated LDH had significant poor OS (P = 0.003), CSS (P = 0.005), and RFS (P = 0.005), but not MFS (P = 0.099). However, multivariate Cox analysis suggested that LDH was not an independent predictor for CSS (HR 1.50, 95%CI: 0.87‐2.59), OS (HR 1.56, 95%CI: 0.94‐2.58), RFS (HR 1.33, 95%CI: 0.83‐2.12), or MFS (HR 1.16, 95%CI: 0.79‐1.71). Albumin, globulin, and HBDH were also not related to survival outcomes of UTUC patients in multivariate analysis, while higher alkaline phosphatase was associated with worse CSS and OS, and higher white blood cells contributed to poor CSS and RFS. In subgroup analysis, results found higher LDH was associated with poor OS in patients with localized disease (pT ≤ 2) (HR 4.03, 95%CI: 1.37‐11.88).

Conclusion

The preoperative LDH was not an independent prognostic factor for patients with UTUC, while elevated LDH was proved to be correlated with worse OS in patients with localized disease.

The prognostic significance of Albumin-to-Alkaline Phosphatase Ratio in upper tract urothelial carcinoma

To assess the prognostic impact of pretreatment albumin-to-alkaline phosphatase ratio (AAPR) in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), the data of 692 patients, operated between 2003 and 2016 in our center, were retrospectively assessed. The threshold of AAPR was defined as 0.58 by using the receiver-operating curve analysis. Overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. And the univariate and multivariate Cox’s regression models were performed to identify independent prognostic predictors. The results showed that AAPR <0.58 was significantly related to higher pT stage and grade, concomitant variant histology, anemia and larger tumor size. Additionally, patients with a lower AAPR had an inferior survival outcomes than those with an AAPR ≥0.58 (all P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis suggested that the lower AAPR was also an independent risk factor for poor OS (HR 1.587, 95%CI: 1.185–2.126; P = 0.002), CSS (HR 1.746, 95%CI: 1.249–2.440; P = 0.001), and RFS (HR 1.337, 95%CI: 1.027–1.739; P = 0.031). Moreover, subgroup analysis demonstrated the lower AAPR was related to worse prognosis in high-grade UTUC patients; but in those with low-grade disease, no relationship between them was observed. In conclusion, our results found that the decreased AAPR was independently related to poor survival outcomes in UTUC patients. Using the AAPR for subclassification of high-grade UTUC seems to further identify a poor prognostic group and contribute to clinical decisions making.

The prognostic significance of preoperative serum albumin in urothelial carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Preoperative serum albumin has been considered to be closely correlated with the prognosis of various cancers, including urothelial carcinoma (UC). However, to date, this conclusion remains controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis is to investigate the prognostic significance of preoperative serum albumin in UC. A literature search was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library up to 4 July 2017. Herein, a total of 15506 patients from 23 studies were enrolled in our meta-analysis. Decreased preoperative serum albumin level predicted poor overall survival (OS) (HR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.44-2.45, P<0.0001), cancer-specific survival (CSS) (HR = 2.03, 95% CI: 1.42-2.90, P=0.0001), recurrence-free survival (HR = 1.85, 95% CI: 1.15-2.97, P=0.01), 30-day complications (30dCs) after surgery (odds ratio (OR) = 1.93, 95% CI: 1.16-3.20, P=0.01), and 90-day mortality after surgery (OR = 4.24, 95% CI: 2.20-8.16, P<0.001). The subgroup analyses indicated that low preoperative serum albumin level is still positively associated with a worse prognosis of UC based on ethnicity, cut-off value, tumor type, analyses type, and sample size. Our meta-analysis indicated that reduced preoperative serum albumin level was a predictor of poor prognosis of UC.

Preoperative predictors of nonorgan-confined disease in upper-tract urothelial carcinoma differ between China and the United States

OBJECTIVE

To compare preoperative predictors of nonorgan-confined (NOC) disease in patients with upper-tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) from the United States (US) and China.

METHODS

Clinicopathologic data of patients with UTUC treated surgically at tertiary care facilities in the US or China from 1998 to 2015 were, retrospectively, compiled. Patient characteristics, preoperative imaging, cytology, ureteroscopic findings, and serum markers (neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, estimated glomerular filtration rate, hemoglobin, and albumin) were evaluated. After excluding patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, rates of NOC disease at definitive surgery were tabulated. Logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic analyses were performed to determine predictors of NOC for each country using previously published nomograms, and the cohorts were compared.

RESULTS

Totally, 753 patients with UTUC were included for analysis (451 Chinese and 302 US). NOC rates were similar between the 2 countries (31% vs. 29%, P = 0.568). On multivariable analysis, cT3 stage (P = 0.001) and high-grade pathology on ureteroscopy (P = 0.011) were significant predictors for NOC in the US, while male gender (P = 0.034), tumor location on imaging (P = 0.009), tumor size on imaging (P = 0.044), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (P = 0.043), and preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (P = 0.028) were significant in China. Areas under the curve differed by nomogram used (Western model: 0.750 in US, vs. 0.670 in China; Chinese model: 0.763 in US, vs. 0.828 in China).

CONCLUSION

Predictors for NOC in UTUC differ between the US and China. There may be unique population-based markers that more profoundly influence the accuracy of nomograms in certain populations. Our findings highlight the importance of considering population differences when clinically applying predictive tools in UTUC.