Oncologic and renal function outcomes of segmental ureterectomy versus radical nephroureterectomy for urothelial carcinoma of the ureter

Purpose: The gold standard for treatment of urothelial carcinoma (UC) of the ureter is radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) with bladder cuff excision. However, segmental ureterectomy (SU) can be considered in specific cases, such as serious renal insufficiency or solitary kidney. This study evaluated oncologic and renal function outcomes of SU compared with RNU for treatment of UC of the ureter. Materials and Methods: This single-center retrospective study assessed 99 patients who underwent SU or RNU for UC of the ureter from October 2005 to May 2021. Exclusion criteria were end-stage renal disease managed with regular hemodialysis (10 patients) and previous or concurrent radical cystectomy due to muscle-invasive bladder cancer (20 patients). The study enrolled 69 patients, with 39 in the RNU group and 30 in the SU group, to compare perioperative outcomes and renal function outcomes between the groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis and the log-rank test were performed to compare overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), intravesical recurrence-free survival (IVRFS), and disease-free survival (DFS) between the groups. Results: The mean age was 67.5 years in the RNU group and 68.3 years in the SU group. The median tumor length was 3.2 cm in the RNU group and 2.4 cm in the SU group. Patients who underwent RNU had a significantly decreased estimated glomerular filtration rate at 3 months postoperatively (-6.4 vs. 3.5 mL/min/1.73 m(2); P = 0.001). No significant differences were found for OS, CSS, and IVRFS between the groups. However, the SU group had shorter DFS (P = 0.029). Conclusion: Results showed that SU may preserve better renal function. The OS and CSS were comparable between the groups; however, the SU group had shorter DFS. When preservation of renal function is warranted, SU may be considered for patients with UC of the ureter.