Potential Benefit of Lymph Node Dissection During Radical Nephroureterectomy for Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: A Systematic Review by the European Association of Urology Guidelines Panel on Non–muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer

Abstract

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) represents an infrequent malignancy that carries a poor prognosis, with a high risk of lymphatic spread and subsequent disease progression. Template-based, complete lymph node dissection (LND) improves cancer-specific survival in patients with high-stage (≥pT2) UTUC and reduces the risk of local recurrence. LND improves survival in patients with high-stage disease of the renal pelvis if it is performed according to an anatomical template-based approach.