Patterns of adjuvant intracavitary instillation and recurrence after endoscopic management of upper tract urothelial carcinoma.
Publication Title
World journal of urology
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-19-2026
Keywords
california; santa monica
Abstract
Main purpose: Endoscopic management offers acceptable oncologic control in select patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) while preserving renal function. Adjuvant intracavitary treatment with chemotherapy or Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) has been proposed to reduce recurrence risk. We aimed to evaluate the impact of adjuvant intracavitary treatment on ipsilateral UTUC recurrence following endoscopic management.
Materials and methods: We queried a multi-institutional cohort of patients who underwent endoscopic management for UTUC. Treatment groups were defined as no instillation, single post-operative instillation, or multiple instillations. Ipsilateral UTUC recurrence-free survival (RFS) was estimated using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards models evaluated factors associated with recurrence.
Results: A total of 599 renal units, of which 43 received single instillation and 86 multiple instillations, in 334 patients treated endoscopically for UTUC were analyzed. The median follow-up time for patients without recurrence was 12 months (IQR 4-33). Multiple adjuvant instillations of any intracavitary treatment were associated with a significantly improved RFS (HR 0.52, 95% CI 0.34-0.79), whereas a single instillation was not associated with a significant reduction in recurrence (HR 0.64, 95% CI 0.37-1.13). This association between multiple instillations and improved RFS remained significant after adjustment for clinical risk factors, including tumor grade (adjusted HR 0.36, 95% CI 0.16-0.81), and was confirmed in sensitivity analyses limited to patients with primary UTUC (HR 0.46, 95% CI 0.26-0.85).
Conclusion: Multiple intracavitary instillations of BCG or chemotherapy after endoscopic management of UTUC were associated with longer ipsilateral RFS. These findings suggest a potential benefit of repeated instillations and warrant prospective validation.
Area of Special Interest
Cancer
Area of Special Interest
Kidney & Diabetes
Specialty/Research Institute
Oncology
Specialty/Research Institute
Urology
Specialty/Research Institute
Nephrology
DOI
10.1007/s00345-026-06477-z
