Minimally invasive approach in the management of upper- urinary-tract tumours

Current laser therapy options for endoscopic treatment of upper tract urothelial carcinoma

Endoscopic management via retrograde ureteroscopic laser ablation of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) has become the preferred treatment modality for low-risk tumors. The most popular ablative lasers over the past 15-20 years have been the holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) and neodymium (Nd:YAG) lasers, but recently the thulium (Th:YAG) laser has emerged as a potential alternative. This review compares the mechanism of action, physiological properties and effects, and oncologic outcomes of Ho:YAG/Nd:YAG lasers versus the Th:YAG laser for UTUC treatment. Potential advantages of the Th:YAG laser over existing technologies are outlined, followed by a discussion of emerging laser technologies in UTUC management.

Nephron-sparing surgery for the management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma: an outline of surgical technique and review of outcomes

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) often occurs in elderly patients with multiple co-morbidities including renal impairment. As such, nephron sparing surgery (NSS) often needs to be considered. This article reviews the available NSS techniques for UTUC, including ureteroscopy, percutaneous approaches and segmental ureterectomy. PubMed and OvidMEDLINE reviews of available case series from the last 10 years demonstrated that recurrence was highly variable between studies and occurred in 19–90.5% of ureteroscopic cases, 29–98% of percutaneous resections and in 10.2–31.4% of patients who underwent segmental ureterectomy. The small number of included studies and variable follow up periods made comparison between techniques difficult. NSS is a necessary alternative for patients with significant comorbidities or renal impairment who cannot undergo radical nephro-ureterectomy. However, there is significant variation in oncological outcomes, with an increased risk of progression or death from cancer—salvage by radical surgery may sometimes be required.

Endoscopic Treatment of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

This study aims to make the reader be aware of recent trends regarding the endoscopic management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) via review of the urologic literature over the past 5 years. Given the rare incidence of this disease, and the lack of level 1 evidence, systematic reviews and meta-analyses were also evaluated. Studies of importance are also considered and outlined in the annotated reference section.

RECENT FINDINGS

The PubMed database was queried using the following medical subject headings (MeSH terms): "carcinoma, transitional cell," "ureter," "ureteral neoplasms," "kidney pelvis," "endoscopy," "laser therapy," "ureteroscopy," "urologic surgical procedures," and "ureteroscopes." MeSH terms were linked together in varying combinations and limited to human studies in English. Given the relatively rare nature of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), level 1 evidence regarding the efficacy of endoscopic treatment does not exist, even after 30+ years of experience. Rather, the literature available mostly is in the form of single institutional retrospective series consisting of relatively small numbers of patients with short to intermediate follow-up. Only within the last 3 years have published series with larger numbers of patients and mean follow-up over 5 years been made available. Even with these more robust experiences, comparisons among series are difficult given variable treatment and follow-up approaches. Most endoscopically managed UTUC will locally recur, especially with longer follow-up. Renal preservation rate is high, however, approaching 80% with follow-up well over 3 years. Patients with high-grade disease often fare poorly regardless of treatment modality. As such, endoscopic management for high-grade urothelial carcinoma should only be used in exceptional circumstances (i.e., in those patients medically unfit for NU or those with solitary kidneys wishing to avoid the morbidity of dialysis). No level 1 evidence exists for the routine use of intraluminal adjuvant therapy for UTUC (i.e., BCG and Mitomycin C) and multiple retrospective observational series claim there is no overt benefit. The recent formation of multiple international groups with interest in UTUC may eventually lead to the production of level 1 studies regarding optimal treatment; however, uniformity in treatment approach will likely still offer challenges.

The Influence of Tumor Size on Oncologic Outcomes for Patients with Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma after Radical Nephroureterectomy

Previous studies have reached diverse conclusions about the influence of tumor size on the oncologic outcomes in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). In this study, we retrospectively analyzed the records of 687 patients and evaluated how tumor size affected the prognosis of patients with UTUC after surgery. Clinicopathologic characteristics and oncological outcomes were compared according to tumor size (≤3 cm versus >3 cm). During a median follow-up period of 65 months (range 3–144 months), 225 patients (32.8%) died from UTUC and 228 patients (33.2%) experienced intravesical recurrence (IVR). Patients with a larger tumor size tended to have a significantly higher percentage of being male (p = 0.011), tobacco consumption (p = 0.036), lack of preoperative ureteroscopy history (p = 0.003), renal pelvic location (p < 0.001), tumor necrosis (p = 0.003), advanced tumor stage (p < 0.001), higher tumor grade (p = 0.003), and lymph node metastasis (p = 0.018). Univariate analysis revealed that a tumor size >3 cm was significantly associated with worse cancer-specific survival (p = 0.002) and IVR (p = 0.011). However, the influence was not statistically significant after controlling for other factors in the multivariate analysis (hazard ratio [HR] 1.124, p = 0.414 and HR 1.196, p = 0.219). In conclusion, UTUC patients with a larger tumor present aggressive biological characteristics and tend to have a worse prognosis.

Endoscopic management of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma

Upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is relatively uncommon. Radical nephroureterectomy with an ipsilateral bladder cuff excision has been the gold standard treatment for UTUC. However, recent advances in technology have made possible the increased use of endoscopic management for the treatment of UTUC. The definitive goal of endoscopic management of UTUC is cancer control while maintaining renal function and the integrity of the urinary tract. Endoscopic management includes both the retrograde ureteroscopic and antegrade percutaneous approaches. The endoscopic management of UTUC is a reasonable alternative for patients with renal insufficiency or a solitary functional kidney, bilateral disease, or a significant comorbidity that precludes radical surgery. Select patients with a functional contralateral kidney who have low-grade, low-stage tumors may also be candidates for endoscopic management. The careful selection of patients is the most important point for the successful endoscopic management of UTUC. It is crucial that patients are compliant and motivated, because a lifetime protocol of strict surveillance is necessary. Adjuvant topical therapy with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin or mitomycin C can be used after endoscopic management of UTUC in an attempt to reduce recurrence. In this article, we review current endoscopic techniques, indications for endoscopic treatment, clinical outcomes of endoscopic management, adjuvant topical therapy, and surveillance in patients with UTUC.