Comparative Analysis of Oncologic Outcomes of Partial Ureterectomy vs Radical Nephroureterectomy in Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

Objective To compare oncologic outcomes in an international cohort of patients who underwent either partial ureterectomy (PU) or radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Methods A subgroup of patients from the UTUC Collaboration with operation classified as PU or RNU was used (n = 835). Clinicopathologic outcomes were evaluated. Survival was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. Cox regression addressed recurrence-free survival (RFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). Results Median age and follow-up were 69 years (range 32-97 years) and 34 months (range 1-246 months), respectively. Relapse occurred in 28.5% of patients (19.6% local, 8.9% systemic). At analysis, 180 patients (21.6%) died of UTUC. Eighty-one patients (9.7%) underwent PU and 754 (90.3%) underwent RNU. High tumor grade (77.3% vs 55.6%, P T1, 41.7% vs 30.9%, P