Evaluation of tumor-associated macrophages as a prognostic indicator in patients with papillary renal cell carcinoma

372

Background: Prognostic indicators in papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC) are not well defined. We evaluated the prognostic relevance of tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) in patients with PRCC.

Methods: PRCC specimens were re-evaluated by one blinded pathologist (SM), with respect to pT-classification (TNM 2002), nodal status, Fuhrman grade (I-IV), tumor size, subtype (type 1 or 2), tumor necrosis, and presence of TAM. Presence of TAM was associated with pathological parameters (chi-square and fisher's exact tests). Impact of TAM on cancer-specific survival (CSS) was assessed (Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test). A multivariate regression analysis including pT-stage, grade, vascular invasion, necrosis, tumor size, papillary subtype and TAM was performed with respect to CSS.

Results: 177 patients operated for PRCC from 1984 to 2006, were evaluated. Presence of TAM was noted in 112/177 (63%) tumors and was significantly associated with favorable pathological parameters: low pT-classification (pT1a/b: 71/90, 79%; pT2: 14/31, 45%; pT3a/b: 27/56, 48%; p<0.001), node negative tumors (Nx/pN0: 111/170, 65% vs. pN1/2: 1/7, 14%; p=0.01), low grade (G1: 35/45, 78%; G2: 67/110, 61%; G3: 10/22, 45%; p=0.025), absence of vascular invasion (V0: 106/153, 69% vs. V1/2: 6/24, 25%; p<0.001), and papillary subtype (type 1: 64/87, 74% vs. 48/89, 54%; p=0.007), respectively. Median follow-up was 68.3 months. Five-year CSS probabilities for patients with TAM-positive tumors were 93.5%, compared with 72.5% in patients with TAM-negative tumors (p<0.001). Median survival was not reached in both groups. Multivariate analysis revealed node positive tumors (HR=2.4, 95%CI=1.1-5.0; p=0.025), distant metastases (HR=8.7, 95%CI=2.6-29.3; p<0.001), and tumor size (HR=1.2, 95%CI=1.0-1.3; p=0.03) as independent predictors of death from PRCC, whereas presence of TAM was independently associated with favorable outcome (HR=0.3, 95%CI=0.1-0.9, p=0.026).

Conclusions: Presence of TAM was independently associated with a favorable outcome in patients with PRCC and was shown to reduce the risk of death from cancer by 66%. Presence of TAM should therefore be part of routine pathology reporting in PRCC.

No significant financial relationships to disclose.

Prognostic factors of cancer recurrence and progression in non-muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma: A multicenter study of over 4,300 patients

249

Background: The outcomes of patients with non-muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (NMIUCB) remain poorly understood. The aim of our study was to identify prognostic factors of cancer recurrence and progression in patients with primary UCB.

Methods: We performed a combined analysis on individual data from 4,325 patients with primary NMIUCB.

Results: Within a median follow-up of 64 months, 1,960 patients (45.4%) experienced disease recurrence, 498 (11.5%) experienced progression to muscle-invasive stage, 1,155 (26.7%) died of any cause, and 310 (7.2%) died of their cancer. In multivariable Cox regression analysis, advanced age, higher grade, larger tumor size, higher number of tumors, number of prior recurrences, and type of intravesical therapy were independent predictors of disease recurrence and progression. While treatment intravesical chemotherapy was only associated with decreased/delayed cancer recurrence, intravesical BCG therapy was associated with decreased/delayed cancer recurrence and progression. The predictive accuracies of the models for recurrence and progression were 63.5% and 71.3%, respectively.

Conclusions: Even in a heterogenous patient population, BCG therapy appears to decrease frequency and delay time to cancer recurrence and progression in patients with NMIUCB. Predictive tools based on combination of multiple clinical variables which capture the biological and clinical potential of nonmuscle-invasive disease could help with patient counseling and individualized risk assessment for adjuvant intravesical therapy and clinical trial design.

[Table: see text]

No significant financial relationships to disclose.