Dr Martini talks about the prize-winning abstract he presented at EAU 2021 on patterns of recurrence after a radical nephroureterectomy in patients with high-risk upper tract urothelial carcinoma.
He explains that the study used a multi-institutional database to assess over 1,100 patients considered high-risk, according to European Association of Urology guidelines, in order to review whether the follow-up process for those patients was appropriate or needed revising.
Dr Martini discusses patterns and locations of recurrence in relation to a follow-up regimen consisting of cystoscopies and imaging diagnostics. He mentions that patients with a prior history of urothelial cancer in the bladder not only have a higher risk of developing urothelial cancer in the upper urinary tract but are also more likely to suffer from recurrences after radical nephroureterectomies.
Finally, he discusses the relevance of adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery and proposals for an adjustment in the timing of imaging and cystoscopy follow-up for high-risk urothelial carcinoma.