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Purpose: To compare characteristics and outcomes of patients included versus those not in adjuvant therapy trials post complete resection of renal cell carcinoma (RCC)., Methods: Adult patients following complete resection for clear cell RCC between January 1, 2011, and March 31, 2021, were included. Patients had intermediate high, high risk nonmetastatic disease (modified UCLA Integrated Staging System) or fully resected metastatic (M1) disease as per the inclusion criteria of adjuvant studies. Demographic, clinical, and outcomes between trial and nontrial patients were compared., Results: Of 1,459 eligible patients, 63 (4.3%) participated in an adjuvant trial. Disease characteristics were similar between groups. Trial patients were younger (mean age 58.1 vs. 63.6 years; P < 0.0001) and had lower Charlson Comorbidity Index scores (mean 4.2 vs. 4.9; P = 0.009). Unadjusted disease-free survival (DFS) at 5 years for trial patients was 48.6% and 39.2% for nontrial patients (HR 0.71, 0.48-1.05, P = 0.08). Median DFS was higher for trial patients in comparison to nontrial patients (4.4 years, IQR 1.7- not reached; vs. 3.0 years, IQR 0.8-8.6; P = 0.08). Cancer specific survival (CSS) at 5 years for trial patients was 85.2% in comparison to 78.6% for nontrial patients (HR 0.45, 0.22-0.92, P = 0.03). Unadjusted estimated overall survival (OS) at 5 years was 80.8% for trial patients and 74.8% (HR 0.42, 0.18-0.94; P = 0.04) for nontrial patients., Conclusions: Patients in adjuvant trials were younger and healthier with longer CSS and OS in comparison to those not included in adjuvant trials. These findings may have implications when we generalize trial results to real world patients., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Management of advanced prostate cancer has evolved rapidly with the availability of multiple systemic treatments such as androgen-receptor axis-targeted therapies (ARATs), taxane-based chemotherapy, radium-223, and other approaches. However, limited data exists on real-world treatment selection and clinical outcomes. This study examines the utilization and survival impact of these therapies in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) in the real-world setting of Ontario, Canada., Methods: This study was a retrospective, longitudinal, population-based study of administrative claims data between January 2016 and April 2020. Men ≥ 66 years with mCRPC receiving advanced treatment were included. Patients were indexed on the day they initiated mCRPC treatment and followed up until death or end of study period to assess treatment and survival. Multinomial regression was used to model the association between baseline covariates, treatment and survival., Results: Median age was 75 years among the 944 mCRPC patients who received life-prolonging therapies during this time period. Over 90% of patients used an ARAT as a first-line therapy, and 71.5% received only first-line therapy before death or censoring. Of patients that received two or more lines, over 80% received subsequent therapy with a different mechanism of action. Median overall survival was 18.9 months., Conclusions: ARATs have become the predominant first-line systemic treatment option for mCRPC patients in recent years. Notably, the majority of patients received only a single line of life-prolonging therapy after developing mCRPC. In keeping with the recognized efficacy-effectiveness gap, real-world outcomes in this cohort appear poorer than in clinical trials., (Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The prognostic significance of level of venous tumor thrombus (VTT) extension in patients with non-metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has been controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the prognostic significance of VTT extent in patients who underwent surgery for non-metastatic RCC., Materials and Methods: The Canadian Kidney Cancer information system database was used to identify patients who underwent surgery for non-metastatic RCC and VTT from January 2011 to December 2019. Association between VTT level and recurrence-free survival (RFS), cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) was examined. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to estimate predictors of survival., Results: Out of 6,340 patients during the study period, 228 patients (3.6%) had VTT. VTT was level 0 in 84 (37%), level I to II in 112 (49%), and level III to IV in 33 (14%) patients as per the Mayo Clinic classification. Median age was 65.4 years (interquartile range [IQR] 57.6-72.2) and 169 (74.1%) were male. After a median follow-up of 21.2 months, VTT level did not significantly impact the RFS, CSS, or OS. For VTT level 0, I to II, and III to IV, there was no significant difference in estimated 5-year RFS (31%, 23%, and 30.5%; P > 0.05), CSS (70%, 69%, and 55%; P > 0.05) and OS (64%, 66%, and 50%; P > 0.05). Adjusting for known prognostic factors, thrombus level was not associated with risk of recurrence or death., Conclusion: In a large, multi-institutional cohort of patients undergoing surgery for non-metastatic RCC with tumor thrombus, thrombus extent was not independently associated with recurrence or death., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The role of renal tumor biopsy (RTB) in the management of small renal masses (SRMs) is progressively being recognized as a tool to decrease overtreatment. While an increasing number of studies assessing its role in diagnostics are becoming available, RTB remains variably used amongst urologists. Many patient-, tumor-, and institution-related factors may influence urologists on whether to perform a RTB to help guide management., Objective: We aimed at identifying factors associated with the use of RTB for localized SRMs within a number of centers contributing data to the Canadian Kidney Cancer information system., Material and Methods: We identified 3,838 patients diagnosed with a localized SRM (≤4 cm) between January 2011 and December 2018. Patients were stratified based on whether a RTB was performed prior to the primary therapeutic intervention. Factors associated with use of RTB were assessed using univariable and multivariable logistic regression models., Results: A total of 993 patients (25.9%) underwent an RTB. There was an overall increase in RTB use over time (P < 0.001), with patients diagnosed between 2015 and 2018 undergoing more RTB than patients diagnosed between 2011 and 2014 (29.8% vs. 22.2%, respectively; P < 0.001). Patients managed in centers with the highest patient-volume had RTB more frequently than patients managed in low-volume centers. On multivariable analysis, increasing year of diagnosis was significantly associated with more RTB use. Patients treated with surgery underwent RTB statistically less often than patients undergoing thermal ablation (P < 0.001) or managed with active surveillance (P < 0.001). Larger SRMs were associated with more RTB use in patients on active surveillance (P = 0.009), but with less RTB in patients undergoing surgery (P = 0.045)., Conclusion: This large multicenter cohort study reveals an increasing adoption and overall use of RTB amongst Canadian urologists. Patients managed in high-volume centers and those undergoing non-surgical management were associated with greater use of RTB. Tumor size was also associated with RTB use. This study highlights the influence that physician perceptions and clinical factors may have in the decision to use RTB prior to initiating a therapeutic approach., (Crown Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To determine the association between lymph node dissection (LND) at the time of radical nephrectomy and survival in a large, multi-institutional cohort using a propensity score matching design., Subjects and Methods: The Canadian Kidney Cancer information system was used to identify patients undergoing radical nephrectomy for nonmetastatic renal cell carcinoma. Associations between LND with overall survival , recurrence free survival and cancer specific survival were determined using various propensity score techniques in the overall cohort and in patients with varying probabilities of pN1. Cox models were used to determine association of lymph node removed with outcomes., Results: Of the 2,699 eligible patients, 812 (30%) underwent LND. Of the LND patients, 88 (10.8%) had nodal metastases. There was no association between LND and improved overall survival, recurrence free survival or cancer specific survival using various propensity score techniques (stratification by propensity score quintile, matched pairs, inverse treatment probability weighting and adjusted for propensity score quintile). There was no association between LND and a therapeutic benefit in patients with increased threshold probabilities of nodal metastases. Increased number of lymph nodes removed was not associated with improved survival outcomes., Conclusions: LND at the time of radical nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma is not associated with improved outcomes. There was no benefit in patients at high risk for nodal metastases, and the number of nodes removed did not correlate with survival. Further studies are needed to determine which high risk patients may benefit from LND., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Chemotherapy for testicular germ cell tumors (GCT) is highly effective, with few patients who do not respond. Clinical studies to evaluated novel treatments are challenging given the rarity of these patients. Therefore, we sought to evaluate PD-L1 staining on metastatic and postchemotherapy viable testicular GCTs as a surrogate for potential benefit for immunotherapy targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis., Methods: Ethics research committee approval for this retrospective study was obtained by four participating institutions (CHU de Québec, St. Joseph's Health Care, Halifax Health Science Centre, Johannes Gutenberg University). Patients with viable metastatic testicular GCTs pathology samples were included. Patients with pure teratoma were excluded. PD-L1 staining with the 22C3 clone was evaluated on samples with >100 viable tumor cells using the combined positive score (CPS)., Results: From 51 patients identified at participating institutions, 24 postchemotherapy and 18 chemotherapy-naive metastatic samples were available for PD-L1 staining, with 9 matched prechemotherapy samples and 7 matched orchiectomy pathology samples, respectively. The median CPS score was 55.6 (IQR 16-100) for all metastatic samples, 44.9 (IQR 13-100) for postchemotherapy metastatic samples, and 68.8 (IQR 38-100) for chemotherapy-naïve metastatic samples, with the median number of viable tumor cells at 545, 500, and 550, respectively. Differences were not significant between chemotherapy-naïve and postchemotherapy samples (P = 0.07), though among non-seminoma GCT metastatic samples, CPS scores were significantly lower postchemotherapy (P = 0.02). Significant differences among postchemotherapy metastatic tumors were also seen according to predominant subtype, with lower CPS scores for predominant yolk sac and higher values for predominant seminoma and choriocarcinoma. In 7 patients with matched specimens pre- and postchemotherapy, a significant increase in CPS was observed for seminoma (26.7 vs. 81.7, P = 0.045), but not nonseminoma GCTs. Comparing all chemotherapy naïve-samples, PD-L1 expression was higher in metastatic samples versus testicular samples (mean CPS 68.8 vs. 39.8, P = 0.02). This was also seen in matched chemotherapy-naïve samples (mean CPS 77.9 vs. 33.1, P = 0.01)., Conclusion: Our results suggest that most patients with refractory GCTs postchemotherapy will not benefit from PD-1/PD-L1 immunotherapy. However, the high PD-L1 expression in patients with predominant or pure seminoma post-chemotherapy suggests this may represent a subgroup for whom further trials may be considered., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Renal tumor biopsies (RTB) have been proposed as a means to diminish overtreatment of small renal masses. A potential concern of RTB is tumor seeding along the biopsy tract leading to worse clinical outcomes., Objectives: To evaluate whether RTB was associated with greater upstaging to pT3a compared to patients without a biopsy and to determine if pathologic upstaging affects the risk of recurrence., Design, Setting and Participants: The Canadian Kidney Cancer information system was used to identify patients who underwent radical or partial nephrectomy for malignant renal tumors ≤ 4cm (cT1a) between January 1, 2011 and July 2, 2019., Intervention: RTB prior to nephrectomy or nephrectomy without biopsy., Outcomes Measurements and Statistical Analysis: Upstaging to pT3a and cancer recurrence were compared between subjects that had a RTB compared to those who did not. A multivariable analysis was used to evaluate factors associated with disease upstaging and recurrence., Results and Limitations: The cohort consisted of 1993 cT1a patients, followed for a median of 17.5 months. Of these patients, 502 (25%) had a preoperative RTB. There was no difference in the proportion with tumor upstaging to pT3a between patients that had RTB compared to those who did not (7.2% vs. 6.3%; P = 0.5). On multivariable analysis, RTB was not associated with pathological upstaging (Odds Ratio 0.90; 95% Confidence Interval 0.61-1.34) or recurrence (Odds Ratio 1.04; 95% Confidence Interval 0.57-1.89). The main limitation is that the study is underpowered to detect small differences between groups., Conclusions: In this large, multi-institution cohort, RTB was not associated with increased risk of tumor upstaging or recurrence. Hence, tumor tract seeding, although possible, should not be a clinical deterrent to using RTBs as a means of personalizing renal masses management and diminishing overtreatment., Patient Summary: Recent evidence suggests that tumor seeding following RTB may be more common than initially perceived. Our results have demonstrated that RTB was not associated with an increased risk of tumor upstaging or disease recurrence., (Crown Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Surgical resection of metastasis can be integrated in the management of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) as it can contribute to delay disease progression and improve survival., Objective: This study assessed the impact of complete metastasectomy in mRCC patients using real-world pan-Canadian data., Design, Setting and Participants: The Canadian Kidney Cancer information system (CKCis) database was used to select patients who were diagnosed with mRCC between January 2011 and April 2019. To minimize selection bias, each patient having received a complete metastasectomy was matched with up to 4 patients not treated with metastasectomy., Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis: Overall survival (OS) was calculated from the date of metastasectomy or selection, to death from any cause. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess the impact of the metastasectomy while adjusting for potential confounding variables., Results: A total of 229 patients undergoing complete metastasectomy were matched with 803 patients not treated with metastasectomy. After matching, baseline characteristics were well balanced between groups. After 12 months, the proportion of patients that were still alive was 96.0% and 89.8% in the complete metastasectomy and its matched group, respectively; the 5-year OS were 63.2% and 51.4%, respectively. Multivariate analysis performed in the matched cohort revealed that patients who underwent complete metastasectomy had a lower risk of mortality compared to patients who did not undergo metastasectomy (hazard ratio: 0.41, 95% confidence interval:0.27-0.63)., Conclusion: Our study found that patients who underwent complete metastasectomy have a longer overall survival and a longer time to initiation of targeted therapy compared to patients not receiving metastasectomy. These findings should support aggressive resection of metastasis in selected patients., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Highly sensitive and specific urinary biomarkers for the early detection of bladder cancer (BC) to improve the performance of urinary cytology are needed., Objective: To investigate the usefulness of methylation markers in voided urine to identify BC presence and grade., Design, Settings, and Participants: Using genome-wide methylation strategies in Toronto, Canada and Liège, Belgium, we have identified differentially methylated genes (TWIST1, RUNX3, GATA4, NID2, and FOXE1) in low-grade vs. high-grade BC tissue and urine. We accrued urine samples from 313 patients using a 2:1 ratio in a case-control setting from Toronto, Canada, Halifax, Canada, and Zurich, Switzerland. We studied the usefulness of these 5 methylated genes to identify BC and discriminate cancer grade in voided urine specimens. Urinary cell sediment DNA was evaluated using qPCR-based MethyLight assay. Multivariable logistic regression prediction models were created., Results and Limitations: We included 211 BC patients (180 nonmuscle invasive) and 102 controls. In univariate analyses, all methylated genes significantly predicted BC vs. no BC, and high grade vs. low grade (all P < 0.05). In multivariable analysis, NID2, TWIST1, and age were independent predictors of BC (all P < 0.05). Sensitivity of NID2 and TWIST1 to predict BC and BC grade was 76.2% and 77.6%, respectively, whereas specificity was 83.3% and 61.1%, respectively. Multivariable models predicting BC overall and discriminating between high-grade and low-grade BC reached area under the receiver operating characteristics curves of 0.89 and 0.78, respectively., Conclusions: This multi-centric study in a real life scenario (different countries, techniques, and pathologists) supports the promise of epigenetic urinary markers in noninvasively detecting BC. With sensitivities and specificities in the range of 80%, the overall performance characteristics of this panel of methylated genes probably does not allow such signature to significantly alter clinical care at this stage but is worth further studying for instance in BC surveillance or screening in high-risk populations., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate outcomes of surgically treated patients with clinically localized papillary renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and determine if papillary RCC subtype is associated with recurrence and survival., Methods: This is a historical cohort study using the prospectively maintained Canadian Kidney Cancer Information System database between January 2011 and September 2018. All patients underwent partial or radical nephrectomy. Patient, tumor, treatment, and outcomes were compared between papillary RCC type 2 and type 1 cohorts., Results: During the study period, 509 patients had clinically localized papillary RCC type 2 (n = 172) or type 1 (n = 337) histology. Sex, race, and comorbidities were similar between groups. Pathologic stage (pT3 or pT4), nuclear grade (3 or 4), and tumor diameter were higher in the type 2 papillary RCC cohort (P < 0.0001). A greater proportion of type 2 papillary RCC patients received radical nephrectomy (42.4% vs. 24.6%, P< 0.0001). More type 2 papillary RCC patients underwent lymph node dissection (19.6% vs. 5.5%, P< 0.0001) and had lymph node metastases removed during surgery (6.4% vs. 0.6%, P= 0.103). Overall, adjusting for age, grade, pathologic stage, positive nodes, and tumor size, type 2 papillary RCC had worse outcomes compared to type 1, as demonstrated by elevated all-cause mortality (hazard ratio = 7.7 [95% confidence interval: 2.0-28.9]), P=0.0027) and worse recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio = 8.2 [95% confidence interval: 3.6-19.0], P< 0.0001)., Conclusion: Patients with clinically localized type 2 papillary RCC present with higher risk disease and have worse prognosis compared to patients with clinically localized type 1 papillary RCC. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest cohort study comparing papillary RCC subtypes., (Copyright © 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Diabetes has been associated with worse survival outcomes in various malignancies; however, there are conflicting data in kidney cancer. Determining whether diabetes is associated with survival in kidney cancer may help guide treatment in a comorbid patient population., Methods: We used the Canadian Kidney Cancer information system database to identify patients undergoing partial or radical nephrectomy between 1989 and 2017 for localized renal cell carcinoma at 16 institutions across Canada. We derived inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW) from a propensity score model based on various clinical, surgical, and pathological characteristics. We used Cox proportional hazard models to evaluate the association between diabetes and cancer-specific and overall survival, in the sample weighted by the IPTW., Results: 4828 patients met inclusion criteria, of whom 948 (19.6%) were diabetic. Median follow-up in those without death was 26.6 months (interquartile range 9.7-53.8). Among the entire cohort, 901 deaths were from any cause, and 299 deaths from kidney cancer. Before propensity score methods, diabetics were older, more likely to have comorbidities and clear cell histopathology. After propensity score adjustment, all characteristics were balanced between groups (standardized difference <0.10). IPTW-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models demonstrated no significant association between diabetes and cancer-specific (hazard ratio 1.13, 95% confidence interval 0.78-1.62), or overall survival (hazard ratio 1.14, 95% confidence interval 0.94-1.38)., Conclusions: Our multi-centre study found that diabetes and nondiabetics have similar survival following nephrectomy for kidney cancer., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Survival in patients with bladder cancer has only moderately improved over the past 2 decades. A potential reason for this is nonadherence to clinical guidelines and best practice, leading to wide variations in care. Common quality indicators (QIs) are needed to quantify adherence to best practice and provide data for benchmarking and quality improvement., Objective: To produce an evidence- and consensus-based list of QIs for the management of bladder cancer., Methods: A modified Delphi method was used to develop the indicator list. Candidate indicators were extracted from the literature and rated by a 27-member Canadian expert panel in several rounds until consensus was reached on the final list of indicators. In rounds with numeric ratings, a frequency analysis was performed., Results: A total of 86 indicators were rated, 52 extracted from the literature and 34 suggested by the panel. After iterative rounds of ratings and discussion, a final list of 60 QIs spanning several disciplines and phases of the cancer care continuum was developed., Conclusions: This is the first study to comprehensively produce common QIs representing structure, process, and outcome measures in bladder cancer management. Though developed in Canada, these indicators can be used in other countries with slight modifications to track performance and improve care., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction and Objective: Patients who undergo surgical management of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) are at risk for chronic kidney disease and its sequelae. This study describes the natural history of renal function after radical and partial nephrectomy and explores factors associated with postoperative decline in renal function., Methods: This is a multi-institutional cohort study of patients in the Canadian Kidney Cancer Information System who underwent partial or radical nephrectomy for RCC. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and stage of chronic kidney disease were determined preoperatively and at 3, 12, and 24 months postoperatively. Linear regression was used to determine the association between postoperative eGFR and type of surgery (radical vs. partial), duration of ischemia, ischemia type (warm vs. cold), and tumor size., Results and Limitations: With a median follow-up of 26 months, 1,379 patients were identified from the Canadian Kidney Cancer Information System database including 665 and 714 who underwent partial and radical nephrectomy, respectively. Patients undergoing radical nephrectomy had a lower eGFR (mean = 19ml/min/1.73m 2 lower) at 3, 12, and 24 months postoperatively (P<0.001). Decline in renal function occurred early and remained stable throughout follow-up. A lower preoperative eGFR and increasing age were also associated with a lower postoperative eGFR (P<0.01). Ischemia type and duration were not predictive of postoperative decline in eGFR (P>0.05). Severe renal failure (eGFR<30ml/min/1.73m 2 ) developed postoperatively in 12.5% and 4.1% of radical and partial nephrectomy patients, respectively (P<0.001)., Conclusions: After the initial postoperative decline, renal function remains stable in patients undergoing surgery for RCC. Patients undergoing radical nephrectomy have a greater long-term reduction in renal function compared with those undergoing partial nephrectomy. Ischemia duration and type are not predictive of postoperative renal function when adhering to generally short ischemia durations., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Partial nephrectomy (PN) for early stage renal cancer preserves renal function better than radical nephrectomy (RN) and is generally considered oncologically similar. The Intergroup European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer trial comparing outcomes after PN vs. RN, however, showed reduced overall survival in the PN group. Our aim was to evaluate recurrence, death, and renal function after PN vs. RN for T1 tumors in a Canadian population., Materials and Methods: From 2000 to 2015, 2,358 patients with a first occurrence of a clinical T1 renal cancer who underwent PN or RN were identified from the Canadian Kidney Cancer Information System. Clinical, surgical, and pathologic parameters were analyzed. Time to progression was compared after PN vs. RN using a Cox proportional hazards model, adjusted for pertinent variables., Results: Inclusion criteria were met in 1,615 PN and 743 RN. Preoperative characteristics appeared similar in both groups. Time to progression was not different after PN vs. RN, adjusted for potential confounders (hazard ratio = 1.17 [95% CI: 0.8-1.72, P = 0.42]). Postoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate at 1 and 3 years was significantly greater for PN vs. RN in a linear regression model, accounting for preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate., Conclusions: These results suggest that progression-free survival after PN and RN in patients with T1 renal cancer was similar, but that there was better preservation of renal function after PN. This suggests that both PN and RN have similar oncological efficiency, and that selection of surgical approach should be based on other factors such as technical feasibility, potential complications, and preservation of renal function., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate risk factors for bladder cancer recurrence in a cohort of patients treated with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU)., Patients and Methods: At 10 Canadian University Centers, we retrospectively evaluated data, between 1990 and 2010, from 743 patients who were free from bladder cancer and were previously treated with RNU for upper tract urothelial cancer., Results: Of 743 patients, 167 (22.5%) developed bladder tumors after a median time of 17.2 months after RNU. Multivariable analysis detected age (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.028; 95% CI: 1.010-1.046; P = 0.0018), tumor location in both the renal pelvis and the ureter (HR = 2.205; 95% CI: 1.355-3.589; P = 0.0015), the use of adjuvant systemic chemotherapy (HR = 2.309; 95% CI: 1.439-3.705; P = 0.0005), and laparoscopic surgery (HR = 1.876; 95% CI: 1.226-2.87; P = 0.0037) as risk factors for bladder cancer recurrence. Open excision of a bladder cuff (HR = 0.661; 95% CI: 0.453-0.965; P = 0.0319) and transurethral resection of the intramural ureter (HR = 0.548; 95% CI: 0.306-0.981; P = 0.0429) on comparison with extravesical resection decreased the risk of bladder cancer recurrence significantly. Major limitations were the retrospective design and partially missing data, although the significance of variables did not change in the imputation analysis., Conclusion: Older patients, those with tumor location in both the renal pelvis and the ureter, and those treated with adjuvant systemic chemotherapy were found at higher risk for intravesical recurrence, as were those having undergone extravesical ureterectomy or laparoscopic RNU., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the effect of body mass index (BMI) on the outcomes of patients with urinary tract carcinoma treated with radical surgery., Materials and Methods: Data were collected from 10 Canadian centers on patients who underwent radical cystectomy (RC) (1998-2008) or radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) (1990-2010). Various parameters among subsets of patients (BMI < 25, 25 ≤ BMI < 30, and BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2)) were analyzed. Kaplan-Meier and multivariate analyses were performed to assess the effect of BMI on overall survival, disease-specific survival, and recurrence-free survival (RFS)., Results: Among the 847 RC and 664 RNU patients, there was no difference in histology, stage, grade, and margin status among the 3 patient subsets undergoing either surgery. However, RC patients with lower BMIs (< 25 kg/m(2)) were significantly older (P = 0.004), had more nodal metastasis (P = 0.03), and trended toward higher stage (P = 0.052). RNU patients with lower BMIs (< 25 kg/m(2)) were significantly older (P = 0.0004) and fewer received adjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.04) compared with those with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2); however, there was no difference in tumor location (P = 0.20), stage (P = 0.48), and management of distal ureter among the groups (P = 0.30). On multivariate analysis, BMI was not prognostic for overall survival, disease-specific survival, and RFS in the RC group. However, BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2) was associated with more bladder cancer recurrences and worse RFS in the RNU group (HR = 1.588; 95% CI: 1.148-2.196; P = 0.0052)., Conclusions: Increased BMI did not influence survival among RC patients. BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2) is associated with worse bladder cancer recurrences among RNU patients; whether this is related to difficulty in obtaining adequate bladder cuff in patients with obesity requires further evaluation., (© 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: Upper-tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is associated with poor outcomes. Our aim was to assess adequacy of renal function and evaluate the role of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) in patients with UTUC treated by radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) in a universal health care system., Materials and Methods: Retrospective data from 1,029 patients treated with RNU across 10 Canadian academic centers were collected. Tested variables included various clinico-pathological parameters, the use of perioperative chemotherapy, preoperative and postoperative creatinine values, and estimated glomerular filtration rates (eGFR). Univariable and multivariable Cox regression models addressed overall survival and disease-specific survival after surgery. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to compare outcomes in patients who received or did not receive AC., Results: Median age of patients was 70 years with a median follow-up of patients who were alive of 26 months. The median preoperative and postoperative eGFR rates were 59 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and 47 mL/min/1.73 m(2), respectively. Using a cutoff eGFR of 60, 49% of all the patients and 48% of the patients with ≥ pT3 or pTxN+ or both diseases would have been eligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy preoperatively and only 18% and 21% of the patients, respectively remained eligible postoperatively. Of the patients who received AC, 75% had an eGFR<60. On multivariate analysis, AC was not prognostic for improved overall survival or disease-specific survival., Conclusions: Chronic kidney disease is common in patients with UTUC. Following RNU, 57% of the high-risk patients with good preoperative renal function became ineligible for cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Use of AC did not translate into improved survival. Whether this is due to inherent biases of retrospective analysis, limited efficacy of AC in patients with UTUC, or use of suboptimal regimen or dose because of poor postoperative renal function requires further evaluation., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Whether a patient has urothelial carcinoma located within the renal pelvis or ureter remains a controversial prognostic indicator in clinical urology. We wished to evaluate whether tumor location is associated with recurrence in patients undergoing nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial cancer in a large volume patient cohort., Subjects and Methods: We created a retrospective database of patients from 7 academic centers throughout Canada who underwent nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma. Patient demographics as well as pathologic and surgical factors were analyzed to evaluate any statistical association between tumor location and overall survival, disease-free survival, and disease-specific survival., Results: A total of 1,029 patients had data available for analysis with a mean follow up of 3.2 years. Kaplan Meier 5-year disease-free survivals (DFS) were 46%, 37%, and 19% for renal pelvis tumors, ureteric tumors, and multifocal tumors respectively. There was no association between the location of the tumor and the DFS, however, disease involving both the ureter and renal pelvis was associated with lower DFS and overall survival (OS) (P < 0.001)., Conclusions: Tumor location does not appear to have any influence on the risk of recurrence of disease following nephroureterectomy in this large patient cohort. However, multifocal tumors involving both the ureter and renal pelvis had a significantly worse prognosis and should be considered for more aggressive management., (Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: The role of advanced age as an independent prognostic factor for clinical outcomes after radical cystectomy is controversial. The objective of the current study was to assess the associations between age and clinical outcomes in a large, multi-institutional series of patients treated with radical cystectomy for bladder cancer., Materials and Methods: Institutional radical cystectomy databases containing detailed information on bladder cancer patients treated between 1993 and 2008 were obtained from 8 academic centers in Canada. Data were collected on 2,287 patients and combined into a relational database formatted with patient characteristics, pathologic characteristics, recurrence status, and survival status. Patient age was coded as <60 years, 60-69 years, 70-79 years, or ≥ 80 years. Clinical outcomes were 30-day mortality, 90-day mortality, overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and recurrence-free survival (RFS). Logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression analysis were used to analyze survival data., Results: Five hundred fifty-seven (24.6%), 679 (30.0%), 846 (37.4%), and 181 (8.0%) patients were <60 years, 60-69 years, 70-79 years, and ≥ 80 years, respectively. Increased age was associated with decreased utilization rates of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (P = 0.0143), adjuvant chemotherapy (P < 0.0001), and continent urinary diversion (P < 0.0001) as well as advanced pathologic tumor stage (P = 0.0003), increased positive surgical margins (P < 0.0001), and lymphovascular invasion (P = 0.0335). Compared with patients < 60 years, multivariate regression analysis showed that age ≥ 80 years was independently associated with 90-day mortality (OR 2.98, 95% CI 1.22-7.30), OS (HR 2.03, 95% CI 1.51-2.75), DSS (HR 1.56, 95% CI 1.09-2.24), and RFS (HR 2.06, 95% CI 1.57-2.70)., Conclusions: Age ≥ 80 years at the time of radical cystectomy was independently associated with adverse survival outcomes. These data suggest that increased chronologic age should be considered in clinical trial design and in nomograms predicting survival., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The incidence of small renal masses that are detected incidentally is increasing, particularly in patients who are in advanced age and with increased comorbidities. We review the available data on the nature and natural history of these small renal tumors, and observe that based on the limited available information, most of these lesions appear to grow slowly. We also review the currently available markers of tumor progression. We postulate that because of tumor heterogeneity, it is unlikely that advancement in prognostic knowledge will be gained using current approaches, such as histologic characteristics and tumor size, and that there is a clear need for new biomarkers. We conclude that expectant management is a viable and safe option for the patient with a short life expectancy but potentially unsafe outside a well-controlled clinical trial in the younger and fit patient.