title: Preoperative risk factors for extraurothelial recurrence in patients with ureteral cancer treated with radical nephroureterectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent studies have suggested that lymph node dissection may improve the prognosis in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Therefore, patients who will benefit from lymph node dissection need to be selected before surgery. Because patients who have extraurothelial recurrence theoretically include those whose prognoses are improved by lymph node dissection, we conducted this study to determine the preoperative predictors of extraurothelial recurrence in patients with ureteral cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Because it is not appropriate to categorize the preoperative radiologic findings of ureteral cancer and those of renal pelvic cancer using the same classification criteria, we focused on ureteral cancer. We reviewed preoperative factors in 70 patients with ureteral cancer treated with radical nephroureterectomy. Laboratory tests including inflammatory indices, tumor markers and estimated glomerular filtration rate, along with radiologic findings, were evaluated. Multivariate analyses were performed to determine independent factors predicting extraurothelial recurrence in patients with ureteral cancer.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Positive cytology, cT stage 3 or greater, length of ureteral cancer 3 cm or greater and estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 ml/minute/1.73 m2 were independent predictors of extraurothelial recurrence on multivariate analysis. When patients were stratified into 3 groups according to the number of risk factors, the 3-year extraurothelial recurrence-free survival rates were 95.2% in the low risk group, 75.8% in the intermediate risk group and 25.1% in the high risk group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Positive cytology, cT stage 3 or greater, length of ureteral cancer 3 cm or greater and estimated glomerular filtration rate less than 60 ml/minute/1.73 m2 were preoperative predictive factors of extraurothelial recurrence in patients with ureteral cancer and lymph node dissection may be omitted for low risk patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan. Electronic address: itok@ndmc.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Asakuma
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamada
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tachi
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinsuke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tasaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Akinori
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Akio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Horiguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Seguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, National Defense Medical College, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomohiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Asano
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009392:Nephrectomy / Q000379:methods*; D057234:Preoperative Period; D011379:Prognosis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014513:Ureter / Q000601:surgery*; D014516:Ureteral Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*
keywords: preoperative period; recurrence; ureteral neoplasms