Advancements in the clinical management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma

Pembrolizumab in patients with advanced upper tract urothelial carcinoma: a real-world study from ARON-2 project

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) accounts for the 5-10% of all urothelial carcinomas (UCs). In this analysis, we reported the real-world data from the ARON-2 study (NCT05290038) on the efficacy of pembrolizumab in patients with UTUC who recurred or progressed after platinum-based chemotherapy. Medical records of patients with metastatic UTUC treated with pembrolizumab as second-line therapy were reviewed from 34 institutions in 14 countries. Patients were assessed for overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall response rate (ORR). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to explore the association of variables of interest with OS and PFS. 235 patients were included in our analysis. Median OS was 8.6 months (95% CI 6.6-12.1), the 1 year OS rate was 43% while the 2 years OS rate 29%. The median PFS was 5.1 months (95% CI 3.9-6.9); 46% of patients were alive at 6 months, 34% at 12 months and 25% at 24 months. According to RECIST 1.1, 18 patients (8%) experienced complete response (CR), 57 (24%) partial response (PR), 44 (19%) stable disease (SD), and 116 (49%) progressive disease (PD), with an ORR of 32%. Our study confirms the effectiveness of pembrolizumab in patients pretreated with a platinum-based combination, irrespective of their sensitivity to the first-line treatment and of their histology. In addition, we emphasized the limited benefit of the treatment with pembrolizumab in patients with hepatic metastases and poor ECOG performance status.

Reduced Preoperative Glomerular Filtration Rate Is Associated With Adverse Postoperative Oncological Prognosis in Patients Undergoing Radical Nephroureterectomy for Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Objective

To evaluate the association between perioperative estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and postoperative oncological outcomes in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) treated with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU),and to evaluate the effect of sex on this association.

Methods

The medical records of patients with UTUC who underwent RNU between January 2012 and December 2017 at our hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into three groups based on preoperative eGFRs: normal eGFR (>60 mL/min/1.73 m2; n = 179), moderately reduced eGFR (45-60 mL/min/1.73 m2; n = 45), and severely reduced eGFR (≤ 45 mL/min/1.73 m2; n = 36). Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the prognostic impact of preoperative eGFR on prognosis.

Results

Patient mean age was 66.7 ± 9.6 years, and 47.9% were female. Multivariate regression analysis based on Cox proportional risk models and Kaplan-Meier survival rates showed that lower preoperative eGFR was associated with decreased OS, PFS, and CSS. In the adjusted Cox regression model, patients with normal and moderately reduced eGFRs had a decreased hazard for mortality, with adjusted hazard ratios of 0.13 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.07-0.26] and 0.36 (95% CI: 0.18-0.73), respectively (P < 0.001). The smooth fitting curve suggested a linear relationship between eGFR and prognostic survival. Additionally, sensitivity subgroup analyses verified an inverse relationship between the reduced eGFR and OS. Women had a lower eGFR and worse oncological outcomes than men. A nomogram for OS was developed based on multivariate analysis with a C-index of 0.754 (95% CI: 0.728-0.779).

Conclusion

Preoperative renal insufficiency is strongly associated with a higher risk of cancer progression and a lower survival probability. It is important to identify preoperative renal insufficiency in patients with UTUC, particularly female patients.

Elevated Pre-Treatment Serum MMP-7 Levels Are Associated with the Presence of Metastasis and Poor Survival in Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a rare cancer with a barely predictable clinical behaviour. Serum MMP-7 is a validated prognostic marker in urothelial bladder cancer, a tumour entity with large clinical, histological, and molecular similarity to UTUC. The serum MMP-7 levels have not yet been investigated in UTUC. In the present study, we determined MMP-7 concentrations in an overall number of 103 serum samples from 57 UTUC patients who underwent surgical or systemic (platinum or immune checkpoint inhibitor) therapy by using the ELISA method. In addition to pre-treatment samples, the serum samples collected at predefined time points after or during therapy were also investigated. Serum MMP-7 concentrations were correlated with clinicopathological and follow-up data. Our results revealed significantly, two-fold elevated pre-treatment serum MMP-7 levels in metastatic cases of UTUC in both the radical surgery- and the chemotherapy-treated cohorts (p = 0.045 and p = 0.040, respectively). In addition, high serum MMP-7 levels significantly decreased after radical surgery, and high pre-treatment MMP-7 concentrations were associated with shorter survival both in the surgery- and chemotherapy-treated cohorts (p = 0.029 and p = 0.001, respectively). Our results revealed pre-treatment serum MMP-7 as a prognostic marker for UTUC, which may help to improve preoperative risk-stratification and thereby improve therapeutic decision-making.

Platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma: a change of paradigm? A meta-analysis of aggregate data

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the role of platinum-based adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Eligible studies were identified using Pubmed/Medline, Cochrane library, Embase and meeting abstracts. Outcomes of interest included: overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and disease-free survival (DFS). Platinum-based AC was associated with improved DFS, while the benefit in OS and CSS was not statistically significant compared to observation. Conversely, platinum-based AC showed a modest OS benefit in an analysis combing multivariable HRs with estimated HRs from Kaplan-Meier curves. Our results suggest that platinum-based AC is associated with improved DFS and a modest OS benefit in patients with locally advanced urothelial carcinomas.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography promotes differential diagnosis of ureteral neoplasms

OBJECTIVE

To compare the diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) with baseline ultrasound (B-US) in ureteral neoplasms.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis, comprising clinical presentation, image appearances, and diagnostic results on B-ultrasound and CEUS, considering pathological result as a gold-standard, was conducted on the clinical information of 39 patients with ureteral neoplasms. CT urography was used to detect and confirm the presence of ureteral neoplasms. Both B-ultrasound and CEUS investigations of those 39 patients under study were performed by a senior radiologist.

RESULTS

Pathological outcomes established 27 ureteral malignancies and 12 ureteral benignancies. Ureteral malignancies were observed to occur in older patients than benignancies (p = 0.002). Only the morphological indicator of the ureteric wall on B-ultrasound was different in ureteral malignancies and benignancies (p = 0.030). Tumors with hyperenhancement, larger width, and hyperenhanced ureteric wall were easily diagnosed as malignant on CEUS, whereas iso-/hypoenhanced, narrower, and iso-/hypoenhanced ureteric wall indicated benign tumors. Moreover, the lesion widths, enhanced morphologies of the ureteric wall, and the ureteral wall's linear boundaries on CEUS were different between high- and low-stage ureteral urothelial carcinomas (p = 0.012, 0.002, 0.001, respectively).

CONCLUSION

The display of microvessels in ureteral neoplasms was significantly enhanced by CEUS, thus contributing to the differential diagnosis of ureteral neoplasms while assisting the staging of ureteral urothelial carcinoma.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

The imaging features of different ureteral neoplasms on CEUS were analyzed in this study. The diagnostic performances of CEUS and B-ultrasound in ureteral urothelial carcinomas were also explored.

The Impact of Fluorescence in situ Hybridization on the Staging of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) diagnostics on the T stage in final histology specimen of patients undergoing radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) due to upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) at a large tertiary care center.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed patients who underwent RNU at our center between 2008 and 2020. Inclusion criteria were RNU due to UTUC. Urine cytologies were used for FISH analysis to detect chromosomal abnormalities. Pre-FISH group was defined as patients without access to routine preoperative urinary FISH testing (2008-2014), and FISH group was defined as patients with access to routine FISH testing. Primary outcome was T stage in final histology. Statistical analysis was performed by χ2 test and Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS

Out of 212 patients who underwent RNU at our center between 2008 and 2020, 155 patients were included into the final analysis. The median age was 71 (range 33-90) years, and 108 (69.7%) patients were male and 47 (30.3%) female. Age and gender were not differently distributed in both groups (age: p = 0.925; gender: p = 0.682). Organ-confined disease was found in 37/72 patients in the pre-FISH cohort and in 48/83 patients in the FISH cohort (p = 0.422). Within organ-confined disease, 18/37 patients revealed a T stage smaller than T1 in the pre-FISH cohort and 35/48 patients in the FISH cohort (p = 0.022).

CONCLUSIONS

Preoperative FISH diagnostics add important information to preoperative diagnostic workup of patients with UTUC. Within organ-confined disease, a significant shift toward T stages lower than T1 is observed. Further research is required to determine the impact of this shift on survival in UTUC.

Single-stage minimally invasive nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma: Perioperative and early oncological outcomes

Objective:

The purpose of this article is to present our minimally-invasive techniques for upper tract urothelial carcinoma and review the perioperative and early oncological outcomes at our centre.

Materials and methods:

A retrospective review of all patients undergoing minimally-invasive surgery for upper tract urothelial carcinoma over a 3-year period following institutional approval was performed. Perioperative and early oncological outcomes were assessed.

Results:

Twenty-three cases of minimally-invasive single-stage nephroureterectomy were performed with a mean patient age of 69.45 years. Twelve (52%) of these cases were for high-grade disease and six (27%) had received neo-adjuvant chemotherapy. There were no intraoperative complications, no positive surgical margins and four (17.4%) of patients had a post-operative complication. Mean length of stay was 5.5 days and there was one readmission within 30 days of surgery. Seven patients (30%) experienced either local or distant recurrences with a median time to recurrence of 6 months. Recurrence free survival was 69.6%. Two patients died during the follow-up period.

Conclusion:

Our minimally-invasive techniques provides a safe and reproducible approach for upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Our perioperative outcomes and oncological are comparable to similar studies, but more long-term follow-up and larger patient numbers are required to validate oncological efficacy.

Level of evidence:

4.