Ureteral orifice involvement by urothelial carcinoma: long term oncologic and functional outcomes

Bladder transitional cell carcinoma anatomic primary site as a predictor of survival and mortality: a population-based retrospective cohort study

Background

Bladder cancer is a heterogeneous disease with varying prognostic outcomes based on the primary tumor site within the bladder. This study aims to evaluate the impact of tumor location on overall survival and cancer-specific survival in bladder cancer patients.

Methods

The authors conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. Patients with primary transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder were categorized based on their tumor locations. Survival outcomes were assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards regression models, adjusted for age, sex, race, cancer stage, and treatment modalities. Additionally, binary logistic regression models were employed to predict overall mortality (OM) and cancer-specific mortality (CSM) at 1, 5, and 10 years.

Results

The study included 107 909 patients diagnosed with primary bladder cancer between 2000 and 2021. Significant differences in survival outcomes were observed across different tumor sites. Bladder cancer originating in the urachus had the worst OS before 100 months and the worst CSS overall. Tumors in the anterior wall showed the worst OS after 100 months. In the Cox multivariable analysis, anterior wall tumors were associated with a 1.513-fold increased risk of death compared to lateral wall tumors. The binary logistic regression models showed that anterior wall tumors predicted the highest OM and CSM at 1-year, while urachal tumors had the worst outcomes at 5 and 10 years.

Conclusions

The primary site of bladder cancer is a significant predictor of survival outcomes, with tumors in the urachus and anterior wall associated with a poorer prognosis. These findings underscore the importance of considering tumor location in the prognosis and management of bladder cancer. Future studies should aim to validate these findings in more diverse populations and explore the underlying biological mechanisms that drive these differences.

The impact of double-J ureteral stenting before radical cystectomy on the development of upper tract urothelial carcinoma

BACKGROUND

It is controversial whether the use of a double-J stent (DJ) in patients with bladder cancer before radical cystectomy (RC) increases the risk of tumour seeding in the upper tract and thus the risk of metachronous upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). The aim of our study is to investigate the risk of upper tract recurrence after RC in patients previously managed with a DJ stent.

METHODS

A total of 699 patients who had undergone RC between January 2003 and March 2022 with complete perioperative data and pathological outcome were included in our study. Patients treated preoperatively with a DJ stent were identified and compared for development of metachronous UTUC with those who did not receive prior internal stenting. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to determine predictors of UTUC occurrence among the possible pathological features; risk factors for mortality after RC were also examined.

RESULTS

Of 699 patients, 117 (16.7%) were managed preoperatively with a DJ stent. The overall probability of metachronous UTUC was 1%, 4% and 6% at 1, 3 and 5 years, respectively. The groups with and without DJ stenting were comparable regarding their clinicopathologic features, except for the higher incidence of hydronephrosis in the DJ group. At similar follow-up periods (median follow-up 32 months), metachronous UTUC was detected in four (3.4%) patients in the DJ group and in 13 (2.2%) in the non-stented group (P=0.44). The median interval (IQR) from cystectomy to UTUC was 40.5 (20-49) months in the DJ group and 37 (24-82) in the non-stented group (P=0.7). In the multivariable analysis, only presence of CIS (HR 3.83, 95% CI 1.19-12.29, P=0.024) and positive ureteral margin (HR=5.2, 95% CI 1.38-19.57, P=0.015) were predictors of metachronous UTUC. The study is limited by the retrospective nature and relatively short follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Ureteral stenting for management of hydronephrosis in patients with bladder cancer undergoing RC is a viable option, without higher risk for UTUC or mortality. Patients with positive ureteral margin and CIS are considered high-risk groups for upper tract recurrence and should receive long-term, rigorous follow-up.

Clinicopathological characteristics, surgical treatments, and oncological outcomes of localized primary unifocal urothelial carcinoma involving the ureterovesical junction

OBJECTIVE

To investigate clinicopathological characteristics, surgical treatments, and oncological outcomes of patients with localized primary unifocal urothelial carcinoma involving the ureterovesical junction (UC-UVJ).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Localized primary unifocal UC-UVJ cases in patients admitted to our hospital from March 2013 to August 2021 were reviewed. Clinicopathological parameters, perioperative data, and oncological outcomes were compared between patients grouped by tumor location and surgical treatment.

RESULTS

A total of 130 patients with localized primary unifocal UC-UVJ were enrolled in this study. These included 72 cases of bladder cancer (BC) involving the ureteral orifice, and 58 cases of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) involving the intramural ureter. The proportion of male patients, hydronephrosis, flank pain/abdominal pain, and tumor size differed significantly between the BC and UTUC groups (all P < 0.05). During the median follow-up period of 32.9 months, 49 cases (37.7%) recurred and 29 (22.3%) died from urothelial carcinoma (UC), though no statistical difference in recurrence (P = 0.436) or cancer-specific mortality (P = 0.653) was observed between the BC and UTUC groups. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis identified age, tumor grade, and lymphovascular invasion (LVI) as independent predictors of cancer-specific survival (CSS), and sex, T stage, tumor grade, and LVI as independent predictors of recurrence-free survival (RFS).

CONCLUSION

Owing to positional properties, patients with localized primary unifocal UC-UVJ exhibited significant heterogeneity, leading to varied treatment strategies. No statistically significant differences in CSS or RFS were observed between the BC and UTUC groups. Furthermore, age, sex, T stage, tumor grade, and LVI should be carefully considered in clinical practice because of their associations with CSS and RFS.

Ureteral obstruction following transurethral resection of bladder cancer within the Hutch's diverticulum

Here, we report a rare case of bladder cancer within the left congenital periureteral diverticulum, termed the Hutch's diverticulum. Following transurethral resection of the bladder tumor, repeated pyelonephritis was caused by stricture of the diverticulum orifice and ureter. We attempted transurethral dilation and ureteral stenting, but the obstruction did not improve. The patient's renal dysfunction showed gradual progression due to recurrent left pyelonephritis as well as the ureteral obstruction. Therefore, we finally performed a partial cystectomy, involving stricture and ureteral reimplantation. No tumor recurrence was observed over 39 months, and renal dysfunction did not progress following partial cystectomy.

Prognostic impact of tumor ureteral invasion on recurrence after radical cystectomy

PURPOSE

Several preoperative factors have been suggested to be risk factors of disease recurrence after radical cystectomy. There is no study focusing on the impact on prognosis of bladder tumor ureteral invasion in preoperative imaging.

METHODS

The study population consisted of 136 patients, all of whom underwent radical cystectomy during the period between 2007-2019. We excluded patients with concurrent or a history of upper tract urothelial carcinoma and who underwent radical cystectomy for other cancers or nononcologic reasons. The starting point of this study was the timing of neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radical cystectomy and the endpoint was the timing of disease recurrence. To identify the factors influencing recurrence, univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazard model. Recurrence-free survival curves were constructed using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

Ureteral invasion was observed in 20 (14.7%) patients. Disease recurrence was observed in 11 (55.0%) of 20 ureteral invasion positive patients and 35 (30.2%) of 116 ureteral invasion negative patients, respectively. In the ureteral invasion positive group, clinical T and N stage were higher and hydronephrosis were more common than in the ureteral invasion negative group. According to the multivariate analysis, ureteral invasion (hazard ratio: 2.307, p = 0.016) and clinical N stage ≥ 1 (hazard ratio: 2.140, p = 0.028) were independent risk factors for postoperative recurrence. In the ureteral invasion positive group, more local recurrences were observed.

CONCLUSION

This study suggested that ureteral invasion in preoperative imaging is a significant risk factor for postoperative recurrence.

Clinicopathological features and oncological outcomes of urothelial carcinoma involving the ureterovesical junction

BACKGROUND

The ureterovesical junction is the boundary between the urinary bladder and upper urinary tract. Because treatment strategies for bladder cancer and upper tract urothelial carcinoma are entirely different, urothelial carcinoma involving the ureterovesical junction requires special attention. Nevertheless, studies focusing on the disease are lacking.

METHODS

We reviewed consecutive patients with urothelial carcinoma treated via either transurethral resection of bladder tumor (n = 2791) or radical nephroureterectomy (n = 292) between 2000 and 2020 and identified those with bladder cancer involving the ureteral orifice (n = 64) and those with upper tract urothelial carcinoma involving the intramural ureter (≤2 cm) (n = 41). After excluding overlapping cases (n = 24), 80 patients with urothelial carcinoma involving the ureterovesical junction were analyzed.

RESULTS

The initial symptoms or reasons for diagnosing urothelial carcinoma involving the ureterovesical junction were hematuria (n = 30), hydronephrosis (n = 21), follow-up examinations for prior urothelial carcinoma (n = 13), screening examinations (n = 7), frequent urination (n = 6) and unknown causes (n = 3). During a median follow-up period of 42 months, 18 patients died of urothelial carcinoma. The definitive surgical treatments for urothelial carcinoma involving the ureterovesical junction were transurethral resection of bladder tumor alone (n = 26), radical nephroureterectomy (n = 41) and radical cystectomy (n = 13), with different treatments having different cancer-specific survivals. Multivariate analyses identified T stage (≥T2) as an independent predictor of shorter cancer-specific survival.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the positional property of urothelial carcinoma involving the ureterovesical junction, the profiles of patients with the disease were highly heterogeneous. Further optimization of treatment strategies for urothelial carcinoma involving the ureterovesical junction is urgently warranted for better clinical outcomes.

Impact of double J stenting or nephrostomy placement during transurethral resection of bladder tumour on the incidence of metachronous upper urinary tract urothelial cancer

Background

Whether or not double J (DJ) stenting during transurethral resection of a bladder tumour (TURBT) harms patients with regard to possible metachronous upper urinary tract urothelial cancer (UUTUC) development remains controversial. This study evaluated the impact of DJ compared to nephrostomy placement during TURBT for bladder cancer (BCa) on the incidence of metachronous UUTUCs.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed 637 patients who underwent TURBT in our department between 2008 and 2016. BCa, UUTUC and urinary drainage data (retrograde/anterograde DJ and percutaneous nephrostomy) were assessed, along with the prevalence of hydronephrosis, and mortality. Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test was performed for univariate analyses. Survival analysis was performed by the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank tests.

Results

UUTUC was noted in 28 out of 637 patients (4.4%), whereas only eight (1.3%) developed it metachronously to BCa. Out of these, four patients received DJ stents, while four patients received no urinary drainage of the upper urinary tract. Placement of urinary drainage significantly correlated with UUTUC (50.0% vs. 17.9%; p = 0.041). DJ stenting significantly correlated with UUTUC (50.0% vs. 11%; p <  0.01), while no patient with a nephrostomy tube developed UUTUC. UUTUC-free survival rates were significantly lower for patients with DJ stents than for all other patients (p = 0.001). Patients with or without DJ stents had similar overall survival (OS) rates (p = 0.73), whereas patients with nephrostomy tubes had significantly lower OS rates than all other patients (p <  0.001).

Conclusions

Patients with DJ stenting during TURBT for BCa might have an increased risk of developing metachronous UUTUC. This study indicated advantages in placing nephrostomy tubes rather than DJ stents; however, confirmation requires investigation of a larger cohort. Even so, the increased mortality rate in the nephrostomy group reflected hydronephrosis as an unfavourable prognostic factor.