Urothelial cancer: state of art in Ukraine and improvement pathways.

Aim: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of urothelial cancer treatment in Ukraine, utilizing population-based data from the National Cancer Registry. The primary goal is to evaluate trends and approaches to therapy, with a focus on overall survival rates in patients with urothelial tumors. Materials and methods: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted based on the National Cancer Registry, involving 12 698 patients (2008-2020) with urothelial tumors of the upper urinary tract (UTUC) and bladder cancer (BC) who underwent surgical treatment. Demographic indicators, surgical interventions, complications, and survival rates were analyzed. Results: The average age for all patients was 70 years. The number of patients undergoing radical treatment was 1820 (15%) among BC and 573 (59%) among UTUC. The 30-day readmission rate was low for both, with a slightly higher preference for UTUC (2.3 vs. 4.6%). Whereas grade III or higher Cl-Dindo complications were seen in only 0.2% of cases. Notable findings include low frequency of neoadjuvant (7%) and adjuvant chemotherapy (28%) among patients with invasive urothelial carcinomas. Median eGFR for invasive UTUC before and after surgery was 63.2 and 51.4 ml/min, respectively (P=0.00054). The directly opposite trend was seen in BC-61.2 and 68.7 ml/min, respectively (P=0.0026).For BC, the overall survival rates by stages were: I-73%, II-49%, III-18%, and IV-11% (χ2=1807.207; P=0.000001). As for UTUC, the 5-year overall survival rates corresponded to the literature data, but there was a pronounced negative trend towards a decrease in this indicator after a 10-year period for all stages (χ2=146.298; P=0.000003). Conclusion: The study emphasizes the importance of effective systemic treatments, adherence to treatment guidelines, and the need for multidisciplinary consultations among Ukrainian patients with urothelial cancer.

Comparison of aggressiveness in central versus peripheral T1a clear-cell renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to estimate the difference between peripheral and central small renal lesions in terms of their oncologic potential. METHODS: Cross-sectional retrospective analysis of patients with small renal masses (T1a) who underwent surgical treatment between January 2008 and July 2019 at the affiliated hospital. Only patients with ccRCC pathology were included. Cases were divided into 2 groups depending on tumor location (central or peripheral) based on the R.E.N.A.L and local nephrometry scoring. Presence of nodal involvement, distant metastases, ISUP grade and endophytic growth were defined as aggressiveness predictors. Statistical analyses was performed using a standard statistical software (IBM SPPS Statistics Ver. 22), with P < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Associations between tumor location and Fuhrman grade, exo-/endophytic growth, TNM classification, and type of operation were tested using the Pearson χ² test and 1-way ANOVA test. RESULTS: Patients with centrally located tumors had a higher incidence of clinical and pathological lymph node involvement (P = 0.02, χ2 = 5.1). Patients in both groups had an equal number of distant metastases at the time of diagnosis (P = 0.3, χ2 = 0.8). The operation time was significantly longer in patients with central lesions, which obviously showed higher tumor complexity in this group (P < 0.005). Pathological evaluation revealed differences between ISUP grades in both groups (P < 0.005, χ2 = 29.9). Central masses were characterized by higher aggressiveness, indicating a worse prognosis. Furthermore, the cases in the first group were more often endophytic (P = 0.03, χ2 = 0.9). Nevertheless, this did not affect the surgical strategy in most cases with a tendency toward partial nephrectomy. Eventually, organ-sparing treatment was preferable in both groups (P = 0.13, χ2 = 2.29). CONCLUSION: Centrally located kidney cancer has showed in present study a higher incidence of high ISUP grade, regional nodal involvement and endophytic growth type. Endophytic growth type was associated with worse ISUP grading. Distribution of ISUP grade was not age depended, thus showing no difference by this criterion, when comparing different age groups. Higher ISUP grade was strongly associated with presence of distant metastases in T1a kidney tumors. Further analysis is needed to investigate aggressiveness of centrally located T1a RCC, as it may influence current conservative management options.

Efficacy of combined organ-sparing management of invasive upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma.

Introduction: The study aimed to evaluate the objective response level to neoadjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy and tumour complexity reduction in patients with invasive upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC), and to estimate the functional and oncological outcomes of the combined organ-sparing approach compared to radical nephroureterectomy. Material and methods: This prospective, non-randomised cohort study was conducted by the National Cancer Institute of Ukraine. Patients with invasive UTUC were enrolled between October 2016 and January 2021. Patients were allocated to one of two cohorts depending on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of the affected kidney. In cases where eGFR was preserved, neoadjuvant chemotherapy with an organ-sparing approach was used; all other cases proceeded directly to radical nephroureterectomy. Results: A total of 64 patients (32 in each cohort) with invasive UTUC were enrolled. Both groups were comparable in terms of age, sex, T stage, maximal tumour size, eGFR, Eastern Cooperation Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status, body mass Index (BMI), and haemoglobin level. After four cycles of chemotherapy, there were no cases of progressive disease, stable disease [16 (50%), partial response; 12 (38%); and complete response, 4 (12%)]. The average maximal tumour size decreased by 2.3 cm. Prior to surgical treatment, total GFR according to scintigraphy did not statistically differ in both groups (р = 0.13). However, 3 months after surgery patients who underwent the organ-sparing approach had a better total eGFR (р = 0.0039), which was probably owing to the preserved kidney function (18.9 +5.1 mL/min). Better 2-year recurrence-free survival was also observed in the organ-sparing management group (85% vs 72%, log-rank test; p = 0.03). Conclusions: Neoadjuvant systemic therapy reduces the surgical complexity of invasive UTUC without influencing the safety profile. The gemcitabine/cisplatin regimen leads to high regression rates among invasive UTUC, which could result in an organ-sparing approach in selected cases. Kidney function preservation remains a key parameter that can increase the possibility of effective systemic treatment.

Advantages of organ-sparing treatment approaches in metastatic kidney cancer.

PURPOSE: This study analyzed oncological outcomes of patients with metastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) treated with cytoreductive partial nephrectomy or nephrectomy. METHODS: This prospective non-randomized cohort study included 109 patients with metastatic ccRCC who underwent surgical treatment between 2011 and 2020. Patients were stratified into cytoreductive partial nephrectomy or nephrectomy groups. Survival curves were estimated, and Cox-regression analysis was performed to identify factors affecting potential lethality. RESULTS: The groups differed significantly in terms of T stage and International metastatic RCC database consortium (IMDC) risk groups, but not international society of urological pathology (ISUP) grading. The average blood loss volume was higher in the partial nephrectomy group. In contrast, the duration of post-operative stay, complication rate; and 30-day hospital readmission rate were similar between two groups. There was a significant difference in overall survival in favor of the partial nephrectomy group, who had better 7-year survival rates. Standardization based on the clinical complexity of the patients showed that cytoreductive partial nephrectomy was associated with a lower risk of death compared to nephrectomy. CONCLUSION: Partial nephrectomy is a safe method of choice in patients with metastatic ccRCC. Kidney preservation in a metastatic setting can play a role in reducing potential adverse systemic therapy events and in decreasing the risk for concomitant pathology deterioration.

Transperitoneal uretercutaneostomy with use of mesosigmoid colon peritoneum in patients with bladder cancer after radical cystectomy.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to we describe the new surgical approach of constructing single site transperitoneal cutaneostomy with the use of sigmoid colon accompanied by skin modified fixation technique and its clinical outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: 89 patients were included in a single center study from January 2015 to May 2019. All patients underwent single-site modified transperitonial ureterocutanesotomy. Clinical and surgical data were analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 22.0. RESULTS: Results: Majority of the patients had a low performance status and rationale for cystectomy was palliative cytoreduction. Almost half of the patients had upper tract obstruction at diagnosis with 40% of patients presenting with a decreased kidney function. Surgical procedure was safe taking to account locally advanced. All the surgeries were performed with acceptable complications rate. Blood loss didn't exceeded 1000 ml and median operation time was 194 minutes. Early and late postoperative complications were analyzed and stomal stenosis that needed continuous restenting or reoperation was seen in 20% of cases. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: Single-site modified transperitonial ureterocutanesotomy is safe and effective surgical approach with acceptable complication rates and duration. Such surgery may be used as a major urinary diversion approach in advanced bladder cancer patients with severe symptoms and low-performance status. Further external validation studies needed to evaluate efficacy of the proposed technique.