Diagnosis, management, and follow-up of upper tract urothelial carcinoma: an interdisciplinary collaboration between urology and radiology.

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a common and lethal malignancy. Patients diagnosed with this illness often face invasive workups, morbid therapies, and prolonged post-operative surveillance. UTUC represents approximately 5–10% of urothelial malignancies in the United States and affect 4600–7800 new patients annually. Various environmental exposures as well as smoking have been implicated in the development of UTUC. The diagnosis and workup of UTUC relies on heavily on imaging studies, a close working relationship between Urologists and Radiologists, and invasive procedures such as ureteroscopy. Treatments range from renal-sparing endoscopic surgery to radical extirpative surgery depending on the specific clinical situation. Follow-up is crucial as UTUC has a high recurrence rate. Here we review the epidemiology, diagnosis, management strategies, and follow-up of UTUC from an interdisciplinary perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]