Objective: Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in urology. Urothelial carcinoma accounts for about 90% of all bladder malignancies. According to whether the tumor invades the bladder muscle, it can be divided into non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and muscle invasive bladder cancer. Radical cystectomy is the standard treatment for muscle invasive bladder cancer patients and high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients who have failed Bacillus Calmette-Guerin treatment. Due to the comorbidity of bladder cancer and the potential deterioration of the quality of life after surgery, many patients were not suitable or refused for radical cystectomy. Therefore, it is vital to find a bladder-preserving treatment that can achieve cure other than radical cystectomy. Bladder-preserving therapy that balances tumor control and quality of life serves as an alternative and supplement to radical cystectomy. This consensus is based on contemporary evidence-based medicine, combined with the native clinical practice of bladder preservation in a multidisciplinary treatment manner. To some extent, this consensus serves as a guidance for bladder-preservation therapy of bladder cancer in China. Several issues are extensively discussed here, including organizational structure and workflow of multidisciplinary treatment, the selection of patients for bladder-preserving therapy, treatment options and regimens, follow-up, as well as regimen choices of recurrence after bladder-preserving therapy.
Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/surgery* ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Consensus ; Humans ; Neoplasm Invasiveness/pathology* ; Quality of Life ; Urinary Bladder/surgery* ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/surgery*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation between expression levels of adipokine and clinicopathological features and prognosis of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) based on immunohistochemical staining and bioinformatics analysis. METHODS: The 8 adipokines in this study included adiponectin (AdipoQ), leptin (LEP), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10 and their receptors (AdipoR1, AdipoR2, LEPR, IL-6R, IL-10RA, IL-10RB). Tissue samples of patients with UTUC who underwent surgical treatment in Peking University People's Hospital from January 2014 to April 2021 were selected for immunohistochemical staining. Their quantitative gene expression data were calculated by H-Score, and relevant clinical and follow-up data were collected retrospectively. Transcription group sequencing data of UTUC patients in Gene Expression Omnibus database (GSE134292 dataset) were downloaded for comparison. Chi-square test or t-test was used to compare the expression level of adipokine between non-muscle invasive group and muscle invasive group. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival curve were utilized to analyze independent predictors of overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), intravesical recurrence-free survival (IVRFS) in the both cohorts. The P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: In the study, 63 tissue samples of the patients with UTUC who underwent surgical treatment in Peking University People's Hospital and 57 UTUC patients in GSE134292 dataset were selected. In immunohistochemical cohort, the expressions of AdipoQ (P=0.003 6), AdipoR1 (P=0.006 5), LEP (P=0.007 7), IL-10 (P=0.006 9), and IL-10RA (P=0.008 9) were statistically higher in muscle invasive group. In GSE134292 cohort, the expressions of AdipoR1 (P=0.000 4), AdipoR2 (P=0.000 4), IL-6 (P=0.005 0), IL-10 (P=0.001 7), and IL-10RA (P=0.008 1) were statistically higher in muscle invasive group. Kaplan-Meier survival curve and multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that high IL-10RA expression was an independent predictive factor of IVRFS (P=0.044, HR=0.996, 95%CI: 0.992-0.998) in immunohistochemical cohort, which was confirmed in GSE134292 cohort (P=0.014, HR=0.515, 95%CI: 0.304-0.873). CONCLUSION The expression levels of AdipoQ, AdipoR1, IL-10, and IL-10RA were correlated with tumor stage, suggesting that these adipokines played important roles in tumor progression. IL-10RA was an independent predictor of IVRFS, suggesting that IL-10 and its receptor played a critical role in tumor recurrence.
Adipokines ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/surgery* ; Humans ; Interleukin-10 ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/surgery* ; Urologic Neoplasms/pathology*

PURPOSE: Inflammation-based prognostic scores including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) are associated with oncologic outcomes in diverse malignancies. We evaluated the predictive value of pretreatment prognostic scores in differentiating nonmuscle invasive (NMIBC) and muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) cases from January 2011 to December 2013 were analysed retrospectively. Patient demographics, tumour characteristics and prognostic scores results were recorded. Receiver operating characteristics curves were used to determine prognostic score cutoffs. Univariate and multivariate binomial logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the association between variables and MIBC. RESULTS: A total of 226 patients were included, with 175 and 51 having NMIBC (stages Ta and T1) and MIBC (stage T2+) groups, respectively. Median age was 75 years and 174 patients were male. The NLR cutoff was 3.89 and had the greatest area under the curve (AUC) of 0.710, followed by LMR (cutoff<1.7; AUC, 0.650) and PLR (cutoff>218; AUC, 0.642). Full blood count samples were taken a median of 12 days prior to TURBT surgery. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified tumour grade G3 (odds ration [OR], 32.848; 95% confidence interval [CI], 9.818-109.902; p=0.000), tumour size> or =3 cm (OR, 3.353; 95% CI, 1.347-8.345; p=0.009) and NLR> or =3.89 (OR, 8.244; 95% CI, 2.488-27.316; p=0.001) as independent predictors of MIBC. CONCLUSIONS: NLR may provide a simple, cost-effective and easily measured marker for MIBC. It can be performed at the time of diagnostic flexible cystoscopy, thereby assisting in the planning of further treatment.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Blood Platelets/pathology ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/complications/pathology/*surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation/diagnosis/*etiology ; Leukocyte Count ; Lymphocyte Count ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth/pathology ; Neoplasm Grading ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neutrophils/pathology ; Platelet Count ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/complications/pathology/*surgery

Nonmuscle invasive (NMI) urothelial cancer (UC) is associated with varied biological potential. It is characterized by frequent recurrence and progression, which thus worsens the oncological outcome. Nearly three-quarters of NMI UCs recur within 5 years, whereas half can progress during follow-up. Progression is particularly seen in T1 and carcinoma in situ (CIS). Undoubtedly, NMI UC is one of the most expensive cancers to manage. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) risk calculator is a commonly used tool for assessing the recurrence and progression potential of a newly diagnosed cancer. The parameters used in the assessment are tumor size and number, pathological stage and grade of the cancer, presence of CIS, and prior recurrence rate. The main advantages of the EORTC tool are its ease of use and the lack of need to run expensive molecular tests. However, reproducibility of pathologic stage and grade is modest, which is a concern to clinicians. Molecular markers have potential for predicting the clinical outcome of NMI UC, given that clinico-pathologic variables are not sufficient for prediction of prognosis in an individual. Significant work has been done in the past 2 decades in understanding the molecular biology of bladder cancer; however, the translational value of this knowledge remains poor. The role for molecular markers in predicting recurrence seems limited because multifocal disease and incomplete treatment are probably more important for recurrence than the molecular features of a resected tumor. Urinary markers have very limited value in prognostication of bladder cancer and are used (mainly as an adjunct to cytology) for detection and surveillance of urothelial cell cancer recurrence. Prediction of progression with molecular markers holds considerable promise. Nevertheless, the contemporary value of molecular markers over clinico-pathologic indexes is limited.
Age Factors ; Biomarkers, Tumor/*metabolism ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Disease Progression ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Risk Assessment/methods ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery

The prognostic impact of body mass index (BMI) in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is an ongoing debate. Our study aimed to investigate the prognostic role of BMI in patients treated with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for UTUC from a multi-institutional Korean collaboration. We retrospectively reviewed data from 440 patients who underwent RNU for UTUC at four institutions in Korea. To avoid biasing the survival estimates, patients who had previous or concomitant muscle-invasive bladder tumors were excluded. BMI was categorized into approximate quartiles with the lowest quartile assigned to the reference group. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the influence of BMI on survival. The lower quartile BMI group showed significantly increased overall mortality (OM) and cancer specific mortality (CSM) compared to the 25%-50% quartiles and upper quartile BMI groups. Kaplan-Meier estimates showed similar results. Based on multivariate Cox regression analysis, preoperative BMI as a continuous variable was an independent predictor for OM and CSM. In conclusion, preoperative underweight patients with UTUC in Korea survive less after RNU. Preoperative BMI may provide additional prognostic information to establish risk factors.
Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Body Mass Index ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/*mortality ; Cystectomy/*mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney Pelvis/surgery ; Male ; Nephrectomy/*mortality ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Thinness/*mortality ; Ureter/surgery ; Urinary Bladder/surgery ; Urologic Neoplasms/*mortality/pathology/*surgery ; Urothelium/pathology/*surgery

PURPOSE: The objective was to investigate the impact of statin use on prognosis after radical nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records identified 277 patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy for primary UTUC at Asan Medical Center between January 2006 and December 2011. Information on preoperative statin use was obtained from patient charts in an electronic database. We assessed the impact of statin use on recurrence-free survival (RFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: Of these 277 patients, 62 (22.4%) were taking statin medications. Compared to the statin nonusers, the statin users were older, had a higher body mass index, and had higher rates of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The 5-year RFS rates of statin users and nonusers were 78.5% and 72.5%, respectively (p=0.528); the 5-year CSS rates were 85.6% and 77.7%, respectively (p=0.516); and the 5-year OS rates were 74.5% and 71.4%, respectively (p=0.945). In the multivariate analysis, statin use was not an independent prognostic factor for RFS (hazard ratio, 0.47; p=0.056), CSS (hazard ratio, 0.46; p=0.093), or OS (hazard ratio, 0.59; p=0.144) in patients who underwent radical nephroureterectomy for UTUC. CONCLUSIONS: Statin use was not associated with improved RFS, CSS, or OS in the sample population of patients with UTUC.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/pathology/*surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors/*therapeutic use ; Kidney Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Grading ; Neoplasm Staging ; Nephrectomy/methods ; Preoperative Care/methods ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Analysis ; Ureteral Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery

PURPOSE: To evaluate the impact of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma and lymphovascular invasion (LVI) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical records and clinicopatholgic outcomes of patients (n=552) treated with RNU between 1986 and 2013. Patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and those for whom LVI status was not recorded were excluded. Patients were divided into two groups according to LVI (n=86) or no LVI (n=256). RESULTS: The study included 344 patients (240 men and 104 women) with a median of 53.9 months of follow-up (range, 1-297 months) after RNU. Tumors were organ confined (T2/N0) in 211 (61.3%) and tumor grade high in 291 (84.6%). AC was administered in 64 patients (18.6%). A total of 280 patients (81.4%) were treated with surgery alone. Patients with LVI tended to be older (p=0.049), have a higher pT stage (pT3/T4, p<0.001), be pN+ (p<0.001), have a high tumor grade (p<0.001), and experience recurrence (p<0.001). In the multivariate analysis, LVI was an independent prognostic factor for cancer-specific survival and overall survival (p=0.002 and p<0.001, respectively). The multivariate analysis demonstrated that in the subgroup of patients with LVI, AC was a significant prognostic factor for cancer-specific survival and overall survival (hazard ratio, 0.51; p=0.027 and hazard ratio, 0.50; p=0.025, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: AC does not seem to reduce mortality in patients with advanced upper tract urothelial carcinoma after RNU. In the subgroup of patients with LVI, AC had a positive impact on cancer-specific survival and overall survival. LVI would be helpful for selecting patients who are appropriate for AC.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/drug therapy/*mortality/surgery ; *Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms/drug therapy/*mortality/surgery ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Grading ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Neoplasm Staging ; Nephrectomy ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Ureter/pathology ; Ureteral Neoplasms/drug therapy/*mortality/surgery ; Urinary Tract/pathology

PURPOSE: The aim of our study was to assess the influence of perioperative blood transfusion (PBT) on survival outcomes following radical cystectomy (RC) and pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed and analyzed the clinical data of 432 patients who underwent RC for bladder cancer from 1991 to 2012. PBT was defined as the transfusion of allogeneic red blood cells during RC or postoperative hospitalization. RESULTS: Of all patients, 315 patients (72.9%) received PBT. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, female gender (p=0.015), a lower preoperative hemoglobin level (p=0.003), estimated blood loss>800 mL (p<0.001), and performance of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (p<0.001) were independent risk factors related to requiring perioperative transfusions. The receipt of PBT was associated with increased overall mortality (hazard ratio, 1.91; 95% confidence interval, 1.25-2.94; p=0.003) on univariate analysis, but its association was not confirmed by multivariate analysis (p=0.058). In transfused patients, a transfusion of >4 packed red blood cell units was an independent predictor of overall survival (p=0.007), but not in cancer specific survival. CONCLUSIONS: Our study was not conclusive to detect a clear association between PBT and survival after RC. However, the efforts should be made to continue limiting the overuse of transfusion especially in patients who are expected to have a high probability of PBT, such as females and those with a low preoperative hemoglobin level and history of neoadjuvant chemotherapy.
Aged ; *Blood Transfusion/methods/mortality ; *Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/mortality/pathology/surgery ; Disease-Free Survival ; Female ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Lymph Node Excision/*methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pelvis/pathology/surgery ; Perioperative Care/methods ; Prognosis ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Treatment Outcome ; Urinary Bladder/pathology ; *Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/mortality/pathology/surgery

PURPOSE: To investigate oncological outcomes based on bladder cuff excision (BCE) during radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) and to provide clinical evidence of tumor recurrence in patients without BCE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively collected data of 372 consecutive patients who underwent RNU at our institution from May 1989 through October 2010. After excluding some data, we reviewed 336 patients for the analysis. RESULTS: Of the patients who underwent RNU with BCE (n=279, 83.0%) and without BCE (n=57, 17.0%), patients without BCE had poorer cancer-specific and overall survival rates. Among 57 patients without BCE, 35 (61.4%) experienced tumor recurrence. Recurrence at the remnant ureter resulted in poor oncological outcomes compared to those in patients with bladder recurrence, but better outcomes were observed compared to recurrence at other sites. No significant predictors for tumor recurrence at the remnant ureter were identified. In patients without BCE, pathological T stage [hazard ratio (HR), 5.73] and lymphovascular invasion (HR, 3.65) were independent predictors of cancer-specific survival, whereas age (HR, 1.04), pathological T stage (HR, 5.11), and positive tumor margin (HR, 6.50) were independent predictors of overall survival. CONCLUSION: Patients without BCE had poorer overall and cancer-specific survival after RNU than those with BCE. Most of these patients experienced tumor recurrence at the remnant ureter and other sites. Patients with non-organ confined UTUC after RNU without BCE may be considered for adjuvant chemotherapy with careful follow-up.
Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/*surgery ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/*pathology ; Nephrectomy/*methods ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome ; Ureter/*surgery ; Ureteral Neoplasms/*surgery ; Urinary Bladder/pathology ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/*pathology ; Urologic Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery ; *Urologic Surgical Procedures ; Urothelium/*pathology

PURPOSE: Systemic inflammatory responses, which are defined in terms of the Glasgow prognostic score (GPS), have been reported to be independent predictors of unfavorable outcomes in various human cancers. We assessed the utility of the GPS as a predictor of intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) in upper urinary tract carcinoma (UTUC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We collected data for 147 UTUC patients with no previous history of bladder cancer who underwent RNU from 2004 to 2012. Associations between perioperative clinicopathological variables and intravesical recurrence were analyzed by using univariate and multivariate Cox regression models. RESULTS: Overall, 71 of 147 patients (48%) developed intravesical recurrence, including 21 patients (30%) diagnosed with synchronous bladder tumor. In the univariate analysis, performance status, diabetes mellitus (DM), serum albumin, C-reactive protein, GPS, and synchronous bladder tumor were associated with intravesical recurrence. In the multivariate analysis, performance status (hazard ratio [HR], 2.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.41-3.85; p=0.001), DM (HR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.21-3.41; p=0.007), cortical thinning (HR, 2.01; 95% CI, 1.08-3.71; p=0.026), and GPS (score of 1: HR, 6.86; 95% CI, 3.69-12.7; p=0.001; score of 2: HR, 5.96; 95% CI, 3.10-11.4; p=0.001) were independent predictors of intravesical recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the GPS as well as performance status, DM, and cortical thinning are associated with intravesical recurrence after RNU. Thus, more careful follow-up, coupled with postoperative intravesical therapy to avoid bladder recurrence, should be considered in these patients.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell/pathology/secondary/*surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Grading ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local/*etiology ; Neoplasm Staging ; Nephrectomy/*methods ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Survival Analysis ; Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome/etiology ; Ureter/surgery ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/secondary ; Urologic Neoplasms/pathology/*surgery