Segmental ureterectomy can safely be performed in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the ureter.
OBJECTIVE
To date no study to our knowledge has compared cancer control outcomes of segmental ureterectomy relative to nephroureterectomy, which represents the standard of care for ureteral transitional cell carcinoma. We compared cancer specific mortality rates according to surgery type (nephroureterectomy vs segmental ureterectomy) in a large population based cohort of patients with ureteral transitional cell carcinoma.


METHODS
Our analyses involved 2,044 patients with pathological T1-T4 N0M0 ureteral transitional cell carcinoma from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database. Survival plots and Cox regression models compared cancer specific mortality after segmental ureterectomy, or nephroureterectomy with or without bladder cuff removal. Covariates consisted of pathological stage and grade, age, race, gender and year of surgery.


RESULTS
Median followup of censored patients was 30.0 months. Overall 569 (27.8%) patients underwent segmental ureterectomy vs 1,222 (59.8%) nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff removal and 253 (12.4%) nephroureterectomy without bladder cuff removal. At 5 years cancer specific mortality-free rates for segmental ureterectomy vs nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff removal vs nephroureterectomy without bladder cuff removal were 86.6% vs 82.2% vs 80.5%, respectively (all pairwise log rank comparisons p >or=0.05). On univariable and multivariable analyses of the entire cohort, as well as after stratification according to pT1-2 vs pT3-4 stage, the type of surgery (segmental ureterectomy vs nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff removal vs nephroureterectomy without bladder cuff removal) failed to affect cancer specific mortality rates (p >or=0.2).


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with ureteral transitional cell carcinoma segmental ureterectomy does not undermine cancer control outcomes relative to nephroureterectomy (with or without bladder cuff removal). Therefore, segmental ureterectomy may be offered to virtually all patients with ureteral transitional cell carcinoma when it is technically feasible, which also includes carefully selected patients with T3 or even T4 lesions.
Jeldres
Claudio
C
Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Lughezzani
Giovanni
G
Sun
Maxine
M
Isbarn
Hendrik
H
Shariat
Shahrokh F
SF
Budaus
Lars
L
Lattouf
Jean-Baptiste
JB
Widmer
Hugues
H
Graefen
Markus
M
Montorsi
Francesco
F
Perrotte
Paul
P
Karakiewicz
Pierre I
PI
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009392:Nephrectomy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014513:Ureter / Q000601:surgery*; D014516:Ureteral Neoplasms / Q000601:surgery*; D013520:Urologic Surgical Procedures / Q000379:methods