Diagnostic pathways and treatment strategies in upper tract urothelial carcinoma in Sweden between 2015 and 2021: a population-based survey

Authors

  • Fredrik Liedberg Department of Urology Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden; Institution of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8193-0370
  • Oskar Hagberg Institution of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden.
  • Firas Aljabery Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Urology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
  • Truls Gårdmark Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4610-0771
  • Staffan Jahnson Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Division of Urology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8012-2742
  • Tomas Jerlström Department of Urology, School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden;
  • Viveka Ströck Department of Urology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2050-6466
  • Karin Söderkvist Department of Radiation Sciencies, Umeå University https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3683-3763
  • Anders Ullén Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Pelvic Cancer, Genitourinary Oncology and Urology unit, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
  • Johannes Bobjer Department of Urology Skåne University Hospital, Malmö, Sweden; Institution of Translational Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8495-3498

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.2340/sju.v59.16281

Abstract

Objective: To report national data on diagnostics and treatment of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) from the Swedish National Registry of Urinary Bladder Cancer (SNRUBC).

Patients and methods: Data from 2015 to 2021 were retrieved, and descriptive analyses were performed regarding incidence, diagnostic modalities, preoperative tumor staging, quality indicators for treatment including the use of standardized care pathways (SCP) and multidisciplinary tumor boards (MDTB). Time trends were explored for the study period.

Results: Registrations included 1,213 patients with renal pelvic cancer and 911 patients with ureteric cancer with a median age of 74 (interquartile range [IQR] 70–77) and 75 (IQR 71–78) years, respectively. Incidence rates of UTUC were stable, as were proportions of curative treatment intent. Median number of days from referral to treatment was 76 (IQR 57–99) and 90 (IQR 72–118) days, respectively, for tumors of the renal pelvis and ureter, which remained unchanged after introduction of SCP in 2016. Noticeable trends included stable use of kidney-sparing surgery and increased use of MDTB. For radical nephroureterectomy (RNU), robot-assisted technique usage increased even for non-organ-confined tumors (cT3-4) and in one out of three patients undergoing RNU a bladder cuff excision was not registered.

Conclusions: The population-based SNRUBC with high coverage contributes to the knowledge about UTUC with granular and generalizable data. The present study reveals a high proportion of patients not subjected to curatively intended treatment and suggests unmet needs to shorten lead times to treatment and use of bladder cuff excision when performing radical surgery for UTUC in Sweden.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Margulis V, Shariat S, Matin SF, et al. Outcomes of radical nephroureterectomy: a series from the Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma Collaboration. Cancer. 2009;115(6):1224–33.

https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.24135 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.24135

Roupret M, Babjuk M, Burger M, et al. European Association of Urology Guidelines on upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma: 2020 Update. Eur Urol. 2021;79(1):62–79.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2020.05.042 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2020.05.042

Roupret M, Seisen T, Birtle AJ, et al. European Association of Urology Guidelines on upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma: 2023 Update. Eur Urol. 2023 Jul;84(1):49-64. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2023.03.013 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2023.03.013

Shigeta K, Matsumoto K, Ogihara K, et al. Does neoadjuvant chemotherapy have therapeutic benefit for node-positive upper tract urothelial carcinoma? Results of a multi-center cohort study. Urol Oncol. 2022;40(3):105.e19–105.e26.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urolonc.2021.07.029 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urolonc.2021.07.029

Birtle A, Johnson M, Chester J, et al. Adjuvant chemotherapy in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (the POUT trial): a phase 3, open-label, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2020;395(10232):1268–77.

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30415-3 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30415-3

Bajorin DF, Witjes JA, Gschwend JE, et al. Adjuvant Nivolumab versus placebo in muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma. N Engl J Med. 2021;384(22):2102–14.

https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2034442 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa2034442

Lane BR, Smith AK, Larson BT, et al. Chronic kidney disease after nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma and implications for the administra-tion of perioperative chemotherapy. Cancer. 2010;116(12):2967–73.

https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.25043 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.25043

Tay LJ, Chatterton K, Colemeadow J, et al. Improving management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma. BJU Int. 2020;126(1):5–6.

https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.15068 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.15068

Liedberg F, Kjellstrom S, Lind AK, et al. Swedish national guidelines on urothelial carcinoma: 2021 update on non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Scand J Urol. 2022 Apr;56(2):137-146. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/21681805.2022.2041086. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21681805.2022.2041086

Haggstrom C, Liedberg F, Hagberg O, et al. Cohort profile: the Swedish National Register of Urinary Bladder Cancer (SNRUBC) and the Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe). BMJ Open. 2017;7(9):e016606.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016606 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016606

Abuhasanein S, Jahnson S, Aljabery F, et al. Standardized care pathways for patients with suspected urinary bladder cancer: the Swedish experience. Scand J Urol. 2022;56(3):227–32.

https://doi.org/10.1080/21681805.2022.2058605 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21681805.2022.2058605

Konig F, Shariat SF, Karakiewicz PI, et al. Quality indicators for the management of high-risk upper tract urothelial carcinoma requiring radical nephroureterec-tomy. Curr Opin Urol. 2021;31(4):291–6.

https://doi.org/10.1097/MOU.0000000000000895 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/MOU.0000000000000895

Liedberg F, Hagberg O, Haggstrom C, et al. Preoperative upper tract invasive diagnostic modalities are associated with intravesical recurrence following surgery for upper tract urothelial carcinoma: a population-based study. PLoS One. 2023;18(2):e0281304.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281304 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0281304

R Core team. R: a language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing; 2020. Available from: https://www.R-project.org/

Kealey J, Snider R, Hayne D, et al. The utility of clinical registries for guiding clinical practice in upper tract urothelial cancer: a narrative review. Transl Androl Urol. 2023;12(3):497–507.

https://doi.org/10.21037/tau-22-641 DOI: https://doi.org/10.21037/tau-22-641

van Doeveren T, van der Mark M, van Leeuwen PJ, et al. Rising incidence rates and unaltered survival rates for primary upper urinary tract urothelial carcino-ma: a Dutch population-based study from 1993 to 2017. BJU Int. 2021;128(3):343–51.

https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.15389 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.15389

Catto JWF, Mandrik O, Quayle LA, et al. Diagnosis, treatment and survival from bladder, upper urinary tract and urethral cancers: real world findings from NHS England between 2013 and 2019. BJU Int. 2023 Jun;131(6):734-744. doi: 10.1111/bju.15970. Epub 2023 Feb 7.

https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.15970 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.15970

Colla Ruvolo C, Nocera L, Stolzenbach LF, et al. Incidence and survival rates of contemporary patients with invasive upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Eur Urol Oncol. 2021;4(5):792–801.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euo.2020.11.005 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euo.2020.11.005

Kealey J, Ip C, Davis ID and Sengupta S. The impact of multidisciplinary cancer meetings in guiding treatment intent in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Asia Pac J Clin Oncol. 2023 Mar 31. doi: 10.1111/ajco.13952.

https://doi.org/10.1111/ajco.13952 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ajco.13952

Nowak L, Krajewski W, Laszkiewicz J, et al. The impact of surgical waiting time on oncological outcomes in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma under-going radical nephroureterectomy: a systematic review. J Clin Med. 2022 2022 Jul 11;11(14):4007. doi: 10.3390/jcm11144007.

https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11144007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm11144007

Strong DW, Pearse HD, Tank ES Jr, et al. The ureteral stump after nephroureterectomy. J Urol. 1976;115(6):654–5.

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5347(17)59324-6 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5347(17)59324-6

Mori, K Katayama S, Laukhtina E, et al. Discordance between clinical and pathological staging and grading in upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Clin Genitourin Cancer. 2022;20(1):95.e1–95.e6.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clgc.2021.10.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clgc.2021.10.002

Tinay I, Gelpi-Hammerschmidt F, Leow JJ, et al. Trends in utilisation, perioperative outcomes, and costs of nephroureterectomies in the management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma: a 10-year population-based analysis. BJU Int. 2016;117(6):954–60.

https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.13375 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bju.13375

Peyronnet B, Seisen T, Dominguez-Escrig JL, et al. Oncological outcomes of laparoscopic nephroureterectomy versus open radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma: an European Association of Urology guidelines systematic review. Eur Urol Focus. 2019;5(2):205–23.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euf.2017.10.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euf.2017.10.003

Seisen T, Granger B, Colin P, et al. A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinicopathologic factors linked to intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy to treat upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Eur Urol. 2015;67(6):1122–33.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2014.11.035 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2014.11.035

Additional Files

Published

2024-01-16

How to Cite

Liedberg, F., Hagberg, O., Aljabery, F., Gårdmark, T., Jahnson, S., Jerlström, T., … Bobjer, J. (2024). Diagnostic pathways and treatment strategies in upper tract urothelial carcinoma in Sweden between 2015 and 2021: a population-based survey. Scandinavian Journal of Urology, 59, 19–25. https://doi.org/10.2340/sju.v59.16281

Issue

Section

Original research article