Does perioperative chemotherapy improve survival in upper tract urothelial carcinoma? A population based analysis

// Hanan Goldberg 1 , Zachary Klaassen 1 , Thenappan Chandrasekar 1 , Rashid Sayyid 1 , Girish S. Kulkarni 1 , Robert J. Hamilton 1 and Neil E. Fleshner 1 1 Division of Urology, Department of Surgical Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network and the University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Correspondence to: Hanan Goldberg, email: gohanan@gmail.com Keywords: upper tract urothelial carcinoma; chemotherapy; cancer specific mortality; other cause mortality Received: August 15, 2017     Accepted: February 24, 2018     Published: April 10, 2018 ABSTRACT Objectives: To evaluate the utilization and outcomes of perioperative chemotherapy in non-metastatic UTUC patients over the past decade using a large national database. Methods: All patients aged 18 and older diagnosed with non-metastatic UTUC between 2004 and 2013 were identified within the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Relevant clinical data was collected and predictors of cancer specific mortality (CSM) and other cause mortality (OCM) were analyzed. Results: The total cohort included 8,762 patients. Of these, 1,402 (16%) patients received chemotherapy, including only 35% of high-risk patients ( > pT2 or N1). Treated patients had higher CSM (21.3% vs. 13.1%, p<0.001). Predictors of chemotherapy utilization included residence in Midwest states, tumor located in the ureter, higher stage and grade. Predictors of CSM included older age, residence in southern states, receipt of chemotherapy (HR = 1.151, 95% CI: 1.003-1.32, p=0.044), higher stage and grade. OCM was predicted by male gender, older age, ureteral tumor, and higher stage. A subset analysis of patients younger than 65 showed similar predictors, while an analysis of high risk patients demonstrated that chemotherapy receipt did not predict CSM or OCM. Conclusions: In this large contemporary non-metastatic UTUC cohort, chemotherapy utilization was found to be quite infrequent, but increasing steadily. Perioperative chemotherapy had no effect on CSM in high-risk patients, while correlated to higher CSM in the younger patients.