PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this article was to identify quality indicators for an optimized management of high-risk upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) requiring radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). RECENT FINDINGS: RNU with bladder cuff resection is the standard treatment of high-risk UTUC. For the bladder cuff resection, two main approaches are accepted: transvesical and extravesical. Lymph node dissection following a dedicated template should be performed in all high-risk patients undergoing RNU as it improves tumour staging and possibly survival. Postoperative bladder instillation of single-dose chemotherapy should be administered after RNU to decrease the risk of intravesical tumour recurrence. Perioperative systemic chemotherapy should always be considered for advanced cancers. Although level-1 evidence is available for adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy, neoadjuvant regimens are still being evaluated. SUMMARY: Optimal management of high-risk UTUC requires evidence-based reproducible quality indicators in order to allow guidance and frameworks for clinical practices. Adherence to quality indicators allows for the measurement and comparison of outcomes that are likely to improve prognosis. Based on the literature, we found four evidence-based accepted quality indicators that are easily implementable to improve the management of high-risk UTUC patients treated with RNU: adequate management of the distal ureter/ bladder cuff, template-based lymph node dissection, single-shot postoperative intravesical chemotherapy, and perioperative systemic treatment.

Cancer Prognostics and Health Outcomes Unit University of Montreal Health Centre Montreal Canada

Department of Urology 2nd Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Department of Urology Comprehensive Cancer Center Medical University of Vienna Vienna Austria

Department of Urology University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf Hamburg Germany

Department of Urology University of Texas Southwestern Dallas Texas USA

Department of Urology Weill Cornell Medical College New York New York

Division of Urology Department of Special Surgery Jordan University Hospital The University of Jordan Amman Jordan

Institute for Urology and Reproductive Health 1 M Sechenov 1st Moscow State Medical University Moscow Russia

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