Effect of Lymphadenectomy During Radical Nephroureterectomy in Locally Advanced Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

• Published in: Clinical genitourinary cancer 2017-10, Vol.15 (5), p.556-562
• Main Authors: Ikeda, Masaomi, Matsumoto, Kazumasa, Sakaguchi, Kazushige, Ishii, Daisuke, Tabata, Ken-ichi, Kurosawa, Kazuhiro, Urakami, Shinji, Okaneya, Toshikazu, Iwamura, Masatsugu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell - surgery; Clinical outcome; Disease-Free Survival; Female; Humans; Lymph node dissection; Lymph Node Excision - methods; Lymphatic Metastasis; Male; Middle Aged; Nephroureterectomy - methods; Prognosis; Treatment Outcome; Urologic Neoplasms - surgery; UTUC
• ISSN: 1558-7673; 1938-0682
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clgc.2017.04.004

The role of lymph node dissection (LND) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) patients remains controversial. We investigated the effect of LND on clinical outcomes during radical nephroureterectomy. In the ≥pT3 subgroup, disease-free survival and cancer-specific survival times were significantly prolonged in the pN0 group. LND for patients with locally advanced UTUC might improve disease prognosis. The role of lymph node dissection (LND) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) patients remains controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of LND on clinical outcomes during radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) and to determine prognostic factors of survival. From 1985 to 2013, 404 patients with UTUC underwent RNU; 5 patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy were excluded. Among them, 182 (46%) were pathologically negative for lymph node metastasis (pN0), 177 (44%) were non-LND (pNx), and 40 (10%) were positive for lymph nodes metastasis (pN1/2). The 5-year disease-free survival (DFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) rate were higher in pN0 patients than in pNx patients and in pN1/2 patients. According to multivariate analysis, non-LND was an independent predictive factor of DFS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.91; P = .004) and CSS (HR, 2.28; P = .003). In the subgroup with muscle-invasive UTUC, the 5-year DFS and CSS rates were higher in pN0 patients than in pNx patients. However, there was no statistical difference between pN0 and pNx groups in terms of DFS and CSS in the pT2 cases. DFS and CSS times were significantly prolonged in the pN0 group in the locally advanced UTUC patients (≥pT3). In the ≥pT3 subgroup, the 5-year DFS and CSS were significantly prolonged in the pN0 group, but there were no statistical differences between pN0 and pNx groups in terms of DFS and CSS in the pT2 subgroup. LND for patients with locally advanced UTUC might improve disease prognosis.