Factores pronósticos de recurrencia y mortalidad en pacientes con tumor de urotelio superior tratados con cirugía / Prognostic Factors of Recurrence and Mortality in Patients with Upper Urothelial Tumor Treated with Surgery

Objetivos: Identificación de factores pronósticos de recurrencia y mortalidad cáncer-específica en pacientes con tumor de urotelio superior tratados con cirugía. Materiales y métodos: Análisis retrospectivo de pacientes con tumor de urotelio superior operados entre 1999 y 2011 en nuestro centro (139 pacientes). Se recogieron variables demográficas, clínicas, diagnósticas y patológicas, así como el tratamiento realizado, complicaciones y evolución. Análisis descriptivo mediante la prueba de chi cuadrado (X2 ) para variables categóricas y el test ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) para variables continuas. Análisis univariante y multivariante mediante modelo de riesgos proporcionales de Cox. La significación estadística se consideró con un valor de p<0,05. Todos los cálculos fueron realizados con el paquete estadístico IBM® SPSS® Statistics v-21. Resultados: En el análisis multivariante se identificaron como factores predictores independientes de recurrencia el crecimiento sólido tumoral (cociente de riesgo [hazard ratio, HR]=4,02; p<0,001) y el alto grado citológico (G3) (HR=3,42; p=0,01). La presencia de tumor vesical previo o concomitante (HR=1,84; p=0,07) presentó una tendencia a la significación. Se identificaron como factores predictores independientes de mortalidad cáncer-específica la presencia de tumor vesical previo o concomitante (HR=2,23; p=0,02), el crecimiento sólido tumoral (HR=2,73; p=0,008), la presencia de hidronefrosis (HR=2,46; p=0,02) y el estadío patológico avanzado pT3-pT4 (HR=2,74; p=0,01). Conclusiones: En nuestra serie, la existencia de tumor vesical previo o sincrónico, el crecimiento tumoral sólido y el alto grado citológico se comportaron como factores pronósticos de recurrencia. La hidronefrosis, el tumor vesical previo o sincrónico, el estadío pT3-4 y el crecimiento tumoral sólido se comportaron como factores pronósticos de mortalidad cáncer-específica. (AU)

Objectives: Identification of prognostic factors for recurrence and cancer-specific mortality in patients with upper urothelial tumor treated with surgery. Materials and methods: Retrospective analysis of patients with upper urothelial tumor operated between 1999 and 2011 in our center (139 patients). Demographic, clinical, diagnostic and pathological variables were collected, as well as the treatment performed, complications and evolution. Descriptive analysis using the chi-square test (X2 ) for categorical variables and the ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) test for continuous variables. Univariate and multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model. Statistical significance was considered with a value of p<0.05. All calculations were made with the statistical package IBM® SPSS® Statistics v-21. Results: In the multivariate analysis, solid tumor growth (hazard ratio, HR=4.02, p<0.001) and high cytological grade (G3) (HR=3, were identified as independent predictors of recurrence. 42, p=0.01). The presence of a previous or concomitant bladder tumor (HR=1.84, p= 0.07) presented a tendency towards significance. The presence of a previous or concomitant bladder tumor (HR=2.23, p=0.02), the solid tumor growth (HR=2.73, p=0.008), the presence of hydronephrosis (HR =2.46, p=0.02) and the advanced pathological stage pT3-pT4 (HR=2.74, p=0.01). Conclusions: In our series, the existence of previous or synchronic bladder tumor, solid tumor growth and high cytological grade behaved as prognostic factors of recurrence. Hydronephrosis, previous or synchronous bladder tumor, stage pT3-4 and solid tumor growth behaved as prognostic factors for cancer-specific mortality.(AU)

Preoperative Underweight Patients with Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma Survive Less after Radical Nephroureterectomy

The prognostic impact of body mass index (BMI) in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is an ongoing debate. Our study aimed to investigate the prognostic role of BMI in patients treated with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for UTUC from a multi-institutional Korean collaboration. We retrospectively reviewed data from 440 patients who underwent RNU for UTUC at four institutions in Korea. To avoid biasing the survival estimates, patients who had previous or concomitant muscle-invasive bladder tumors were excluded. BMI was categorized into approximate quartiles with the lowest quartile assigned to the reference group. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to assess the influence of BMI on survival. The lower quartile BMI group showed significantly increased overall mortality (OM) and cancer specific mortality (CSM) compared to the 25%-50% quartiles and upper quartile BMI groups. Kaplan-Meier estimates showed similar results. Based on multivariate Cox regression analysis, preoperative BMI as a continuous variable was an independent predictor for OM and CSM. In conclusion, preoperative underweight patients with UTUC in Korea survive less after RNU. Preoperative BMI may provide additional prognostic information to establish risk factors.

Preoperative serum albumin as a prognostic factor in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma

Purpose The study evaluated whether preoperative measures of the C-reactive protein-based systemic inflammatory response may predict cancer survival independent of tumor stage in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Materials and Methods Between September 1999 and October 2010, 181 patients submitted to radical nephroureterectomy were available for evaluation. Multivariate survival analyses were performed using Cox’s proportional hazards model and the coefficient for each factor was divided by the highest coefficient, multiplied by 4, and rounded to the nearest integer. Results Multivariate analyses showed that tumor location, pathologic T stage, lymphovascular invasion, margin status, and albumin level were independent contributors. The bootstrap-corrected C statistics of the model were 0.813 for disease-specific survival and 0.755 for overall survival, respectively. For time to disease-specific and overall mortality for patients, integrated area under the curve values were 0.792 and 0.739, respectively. When patients were clustered into three groups according to their model-predicted survival, the 5-year disease-specific survival in the low-, intermediate- and high-risk group was 95.4%, 76.2%, and 36.9%, respectively (p<0.001), and were 87.8%, 54.4%, and 31.8%, respectively, for overall survival (p<0.001). Decision curve analysis revealed that the use of model was associated with net benefit gains relative to the treat-all strategy. Conclusions   Pretreatment albumin is a simple biomarker based on routinely available well-standardized measures, and is not an expensive and time-consuming process. Hypoalbuminemia is an independent marker of poor prognosis in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma. .

Riesgo sanitario de la población vulnerable expuesta al arsénico en la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina / Health risk for the vulnerable population exposed to arsenic in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina

OBJETIVO: Analizar la concentración de arsénico en agua recolectada en localidades de la provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, y su relación epidemiológica con factores de susceptibilidad y patologías asociadas. MÉTODOS: Se cuantificó la concentración de arsénico en 152 muestras provenientes de 52 localidades de Buenos Aires durante el período 2003-2008 mediante generación de hidruros-espectrofotometría de absorción atómica. Se construyó un índice compuesto de salud (ICS) considerando el contenido de arsénico, el porcentaje de hogares con necesidades básicas insatisfechas (NBI) y el de viviendas sin acceso al agua de red. A partir del ICS se definieron zonas de riesgo que fueron asociadas con la mortalidad por tumores malignos relacionados con el arsénico. RESULTADOS: Las concentraciones de arsénico se ubicaron en un rango amplio, desde 0,3 hasta 187 µg/L, con una mediana de 40 µg/L. El 82 por ciento de las muestras presentaron niveles de arsénico superiores al valor límite aceptable de 10 µg/L, y más de la mitad de ellas provenían de agua de red. La mortalidad promedio (defunciones/100 000 habitantes) por tumores en los departamentos estudiados fue mayor en los varones que en las mujeres: vías respiratorias (310 frente a 76), vías urinarias (44 frente a 11) y piel (21 frente a 11), respectivamente. Las regiones de mayor concentración de arsénico y pobreza, junto con la falta de agua de red, presentaron un riesgo relativo incrementado de 2 a 4 veces. CONCLUSIONES: La caracterización realizada a través del índice compuesto de salud sintetizó el riesgo sanitario de la exposición al arsénico de la población con niveles de carencia socioeconómica de una amplia región de la provincia de Buenos Aires.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the concentration of arsenic in water collected in localities of the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and the epidemiological relationship of that concentration to factors of susceptibility and associated pathologies. METHODS: In 152 samples from 52 localities of Buenos Aires from 2003-2008, the concentration of arsenic was quantified through the generation of hydride spectrophotometry of atomic absorption. A composite index of health (CIH) was constructed using the content of arsenic and the percentages of households with unmet basic needs and dwellings without access to the potable water. Through the CIH, risk areas associated with mortality from malignant neoplasms related to arsenic were defined. RESULTS: Concentrations of arsenic spanned a broad range from 0.3 to 187 mg/L, with a median of 40 mg/L. Of the samples, 82 percent presented levels of arsenic higher than the acceptable limit of 10 mg/L, and more than half of those came from households with potable water connections. In the departments studied, the average mortality (deaths/100 000 inhabitants) from tumors was greater in men than in women: respiratory tract (310 versus 76), urinary tract (44 versus 11), and skin (21 versus 11), respectively. The regions with greater concentrations of arsenic and of poverty, together with the lack of potable water connections, had a two-to-four times greater risk. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from the composite index of health summarized the health risk from exposure to arsenic for lower socioeconomic levels of the population for a broad area of the province of Buenos Aires.