Is renal function at the tumor side a prognostic factor in ureteral transitional cell carcinoma?

To evaluate whether the ipsilateral renal function on the tumor side is a prognostic factor in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the ureter.

We retrospectively reviewed 129 consecutive patients with ureteral TCC between September 1973 and July 1993 at our hospital. There were 98 males and 31 females aged from 31 to 84 years (mean 64.9). Of them, 126 patients who received intravenous pyelography (IVP) were divided into 3 groups according to their radiological findings (group 1: nonvisualization of kidney at tumor side; group 2: hydronephrosis or hydroureter; group 3: no obstruction). Eighty patients receiving radionuclide (131I-hippuran) renal function test (RRFT) with available effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) were divided into 2 groups using ipsilateral ERPF 50 ml/min as a cutoff value (group 1: < 50 ml/min; group 2: > or = 50 ml/min). The mean survival of each group was estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method.

For patients receiving IVP, the mean survivals were 61.7, 99.7 and 83.8 months for groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and the differences between each 2 of the 3 groups were statistically significant (p < 0.05). For patients having RRFT, the mean survivals were 65.8 months for group 1 and 89.2 months for group 2 patients, and the difference between them was statistically significant (p < 0.05). When renal function, tumor number, grade, stage and type of treatment were analyzed using a multivariate method, only tumor stage was statistically significant as a prognostic factor.

Ipsilateral renal function at the tumor side is not a good prognostic factor for patients with ureteral TCC. However, when the stage of tumor is not available, renal function at the tumor side may provide an implication of the patient's prognosis.