Adjuvant Systemic Therapy Improved Survival After Radical Nephroureterectomy for Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

The purpose of this study was to test for survival differences according to adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) status in radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) patients with pT2–T4 and/or N1–2 upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).

Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (SEER, 2007–2020), patients with UTUC treated with AC versus RNU alone were identified. Kaplan–Meier plots and multivariable Cox regression models addressed cancer-specific mortality (CSM).

Of 1995 patients with UTUC, 804 (40%) underwent AC versus 1191 (60%) RNU alone. AC rates increased from 36.1 to 57.0% over time in the overall cohort [estimated annual percentage changes (EAPC) ± 4.5%, p < 0.001]. The increase was from 28.8 to 50.0% in TanyN0 patients (EAPC ± 7.8%, p < 0.001) versus 50.0–70.9% in TanyN1–2 patients (EAPC ± 2.3%, p = 0.002). Within 698 patients harboring TanyN1–2 stage, median CSM was 31 months after AC versus 16 months in RNU alone (Δ = 15 months, p < 0.0001) and AC independently predicted lower CSM [hazard ratio (HR) 0.64; p < 0.001]. Similarly, within subgroup analyses according to stage, relative to RNU alone, AC independently predicted lower CSM in T2N1–2 (HR 0.49; p = 0.04), in T3N1–2 (HR 0.72; p = 0.015), and in T4N1–2 (HR 0.49, p < 0.001) patients. Conversely, in all TanyN0 as well as in all stage-specific subgroup analyses addressing N0 patients, AC did not affect CSM rates (all p > 0.05).

In RNU patients, AC use is associated with significantly lower CSM in lymph-node-positive (N1–2) patients but not in lymph-node-negative patients (N0). The distinction between N1–2 and N0 regarding the effect of AC on CSM applied across all T stages from T2 to T4, inclusively.