Adjuvant chemotherapy for upper-tract urothelial carcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis of available studies.

330 Background: Upper-tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) accounts for less than 5% of all urothelial cancers. Adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) for UTUC may improve survival outcomes, but currently available evidence is limited. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was performed to identify all studies comparing AC with control for patients with UTUC. The search included the Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases, and abstracts from the American Society of Clinical Oncology meetings up to June 2013. An updated systematic review and meta-analysis was performed. Results: A total of 9 retrospective cohort studies were identified (Table). For disease-specific survival, 6 studies had sufficient data (AC: n=406, control: n=1,227), with a pooled hazard ratio of 0.64 in favor of AC over control (95% CI: 0.41 to 0.99; p=0.047). Between-trial heterogeneity was not significant based on the Cochran Q statistic (p=0.14) and I2 = 40% (95% CI=0-76). Four studies had sufficient data for overall survival (AC: n=228, control: n=685), with a pooled hazard ratio of 1.06 (95% CI: 0.52 to 2.13; p=0.88). Between-trial heterogeneity was observed based on the Cochran Q statistic (p=0.03) and I2(68%, 95% CI: 7-89). There were no randomized trials investigating the role of AC for UTUC. Conclusions: There appears to be a significant benefit in disease-specific survival, but not overall survival, for AC in UTUC. While limited by the retrospective nature of studies and relatively small sample size, this analysis may be helpful in guiding the oncologic management of UTUC. [Table: see text]