This overview presents the updated European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines for muscle-invasive and metastatic bladder cancer (MMIBC).
To provide practical evidence-based recommendations and ...consensus statements on the clinical management of MMIBC with a focus on diagnosis and treatment.
A broad and comprehensive scoping exercise covering all areas of the MMIBC guideline has been performed annually since its 2017 publication (based on the 2016 guideline). Databases covered by the search included Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Libraries, resulting in yearly guideline updates. A level of evidence and a grade of recommendation were assigned. Additionally, the results of a collaborative multistakeholder consensus project on advanced bladder cancer (BC) have been incorporated in the 2020 guidelines, addressing those areas where it is unlikely that prospective comparative studies will be conducted.
Variant histologies are increasingly reported in invasive BC and are relevant for treatment and prognosis. Staging is preferably done with (enhanced) computerised tomography scanning. Treatment decisions are still largely based on clinical factors. Radical cystectomy (RC) with lymph node dissection remains the recommended treatment in highest-risk non–muscle-invasive and muscle-invasive nonmetastatic BC, preceded by cisplatin-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for invasive tumours in “fit” patients. Selected men and women benefit from sexuality sparing RC, although this is not recommended as standard therapy. Open and robotic RC show comparable outcomes, provided the procedure is performed in experienced centres. For open RC 10, the minimum selected case load is 10 procedures per year. If bladder preservation is considered, chemoradiation is an alternative in well-selected patients without carcinoma in situ and after maximal resection. Adjuvant chemotherapy should be considered if no NAC was given. Perioperative immunotherapy can be offered in clinical trial setting. For fit metastatic patients, cisplatin-based chemotherapy remains the first choice. In cisplatin-ineligible patients, immunotherapy in Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive patients or carboplatin in PD-L1–negative patients is recommended. For second-line treatment in metastatic disease, pembrolizumab is recommended. Postchemotherapy surgery may prolong survival in responders. Quality of life should be monitored in all phases of treatment and follow-up. The extended version of the guidelines is available at the EAU website: https://uroweb.org/guideline/bladder-cancer-muscle-invasive-and-metastatic/.
This summary of the 2020 EAU MMIBC guideline provides updated information on the diagnosis and treatment of MMIBC for incorporation into clinical practice.
The European Association of Urology Muscle-invasive and Metastatic Bladder Cancer (MMIBC) Panel has released an updated version of their guideline, which contains information on histology, staging, prognostic factors, and treatment of MMIBC. The recommendations are based on the current literature (until the end of 2019), with emphasis on high-level data from randomised clinical trials and meta-analyses and on the findings of an international consensus meeting. Surgical removal of the bladder and bladder preservation are discussed, as well as the use of chemotherapy and immunotherapy in localised and metastatic disease.
Radical cystectomy with urinary diversion remains the mainstay of managing muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has improved overall survival rates, but selection of patients who will benefit most from NAC remains challenging. In case bladder-preserving strategies are considered, patient stratification according to their risk profile is imperative and management should be discussed in a multidisciplinary team. As yet, there are no validated prognostic molecular markers to guide the clinical management of MIBC. In a metastatic setting, cisplatin-based chemotherapy remains the first choice in fit patients. In unfit patients, based on interim results from two on-going clinical trials, first-line treatment with pembrolizumab or atezolizumab for urothelial cancer is restricted to Programmed Death Ligand 1-positive patients only.
Patients with treatment-naïve metastatic urothelial carcinoma are grouped according to platinum eligibility based on clear definitions. In general, first-line treatment consists of platinum-based ...chemotherapy in which cisplatin is to be preferred to carboplatin. Patients who are cisplatin ineligible but carboplatin eligible should receive carboplatin-gemcitabine combination chemotherapy. In case of positive programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) status, treatment with checkpoint inhibitors (atezolizumab or pembrolizumab) could be an alternative option.
Patients unfit for both cisplatin and carboplatin (platinum unfit) can be considered for immunotherapy (U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved irrespective of PD-L1 status and European Medicines Agency approved only for PD-L1 positive) or can receive best supportive care.
Treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma is currently undergoing a rapid evolution.
This overview presents the updated European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines for metastatic urothelial carcinoma.
A comprehensive scoping exercise covering the topic of metastatic urothelial carcinoma is performed annually by the Guidelines Panel. Databases covered by the search included Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Libraries, resulting in yearly guideline updates.
Platinum-based chemotherapy is the recommended first-line standard therapy for all patients fit to receive either cisplatin or carboplatin. Patients positive for programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and ineligible for cisplatin may receive immunotherapy (atezolizumab or pembrolizumab). In case of nonprogressive disease on platinum-based chemotherapy, subsequent maintenance immunotherapy (avelumab) is recommended. For patients without maintenance therapy, the recommended second-line regimen is immunotherapy (pembrolizumab). Later-line treatment has undergone recent advances: the antibody-drug conjugate enfortumab vedotin demonstrated improved overall survival and the fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR) inhibitor erdafitinib appears active in case of FGFR3 alterations.
This 2021 update of the EAU guideline provides detailed and contemporary information on the treatment of metastatic urothelial carcinoma for incorporation into clinical practice.
In recent years, several new treatment options have been introduced for patients with metastatic urothelial cancer (including bladder cancer and cancer of the upper urinary tract and urethra). These include immunotherapy and targeted treatments. This updated guideline informs clinicians and patients about optimal tailoring of treatment of affected patients.
This overview presents the updated European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines for non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), TaT1, and carcinoma in situ (CIS).
To provide practical ...recommendations on the clinical management of NMIBC with a focus on clinical presentation and recommendations.
A broad and comprehensive scoping exercise covering all areas of the NMIBC guidelines has been performed annually since the last published version in 2017. Databases covered by the search included Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Libraries. Previous guidelines were updated, and the level of evidence and grade of recommendation were assigned.
Tumours staged as Ta, T1, and/or CIS are grouped under the heading of NMIBC. Diagnosis depends on cystoscopy and histological evaluation of the tissue obtained by transurethral resection (TURB) in papillary tumours or by multiple bladder biopsies in CIS. In papillary lesions, a complete TURB is essential for the patient’s prognosis and correct diagnosis. Where the initial resection is incomplete, where there is no muscle in the specimen, or where a T1 tumour is detected, a second TURB should be performed within 2–6 wk. The risks of both recurrence and progression may be estimated for individual patients using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) scoring system. Stratification of patients into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups is pivotal to the recommendation of adjuvant treatment. In patients with tumours presumed to be at a low risk and in those presumed to be at an intermediate risk with a low previous recurrence rate and an expected EORTC recurrence score of <5, one immediate chemotherapy instillation is recommended. Patients with intermediate-risk tumours should receive 1 yr of full-dose bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) intravesical immunotherapy or instillations of chemotherapy for a maximum of 1 yr. In patients with high-risk tumours, full-dose intravesical BCG for 1–3 yr is indicated. In patients at the highest risk of tumour progression, immediate radical cystectomy should be considered. Cystectomy is recommended in BCG-unresponsive tumours. The extended version of the guidelines is available at the EAU website: https://uroweb.org/guideline/non-muscle-invasive-bladder-cancer/.
These abridged EAU guidelines present updated information on the diagnosis and treatment of NMIBC for incorporation into clinical practice.
The European Association of Urology Non–muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC) Panel has released an updated version of their guidelines, which contains information on classification, risk factors, diagnosis, prognostic factors, and treatment of NMIBC. The recommendations are based on the current literature (until the end of 2018), with emphasis on high-level data from randomised clinical trials and meta-analyses. Stratification of patients into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups is essential for deciding appropriate use of adjuvant intravesical chemotherapy or bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) instillations. Surgical removal of the bladder should be considered in case of BCG-unresponsive tumours or in NMIBCs with the highest risk of progression.
The European Association of Urology guidelines on non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (TaT1 and CIS) present updated information on the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Recent findings are provided for their routine application in clinical practice.
The European Association of Urology (EAU) has released an updated version of the guidelines on non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).
To present the 2021 EAU guidelines on NMIBC.
A broad and ...comprehensive scoping exercise covering all areas of the NMIBC guidelines since the 2020 version was performed. Databases covered by the search included Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Libraries. Previous guidelines were updated, and the level of evidence and grade of recommendation were assigned.
Tumours staged as Ta, T1 and carcinoma in situ (CIS) are grouped under the heading of NMIBC. Diagnosis depends on cystoscopy and histological evaluation of tissue obtained via transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) for papillary tumours or via multiple bladder biopsies for CIS. For papillary lesions, a complete TURB is essential for the patient’s prognosis and correct diagnosis. In cases for which the initial resection is incomplete, there is no muscle in the specimen, or a T1 tumour is detected, a second TURB should be performed within 2–6 wk. The risk of progression may be estimated for individual patients using the 2021 EAU scoring model. On the basis of their individual risk of progression, patients are stratified as having low, intermediate, high, or very high risk, which is pivotal to recommending adjuvant treatment. For patients with tumours presumed to be at low risk and for small papillary recurrences detected more than 1 yr after a previous TURB, one immediate chemotherapy instillation is recommended. Patients with an intermediate-risk tumour should receive 1 yr of full-dose intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy or instillations of chemotherapy for a maximum of 1 yr. For patients with high-risk tumours, full-dose intravesical BCG for 1–3 yr is indicated. For patients at very high risk of tumour progression, immediate radical cystectomy should be considered. Cystectomy is also recommended for BCG-unresponsive tumours. The extended version of the guidelines is available on the EAU website at https://uroweb.org/guideline/non-muscle-invasive-bladder-cancer/.
These abridged EAU guidelines present updated information on the diagnosis and treatment of NMIBC for incorporation into clinical practice.
The European Association of Urology has released updated guidelines on the classification, risk factors, diagnosis, prognostic factors, and treatment of non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer. The recommendations are based on the literature up to 2020, with emphasis on the highest level of evidence. Classification of patients as having low, intermediate, or and high risk is essential in deciding on suitable treatment. Surgical removal of the bladder should be considered for tumours that do not respond to bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) treatment and tumours with the highest risk of progression.
The European Association of Urology guidelines on non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer present updated information on the diagnosis and treatment of this disease. Recent findings are provided for their routine application in clinical practice.
The European Association of Urology (EAU) Guidelines Panel on Upper Urinary Tract Urothelial Carcinoma (UTUC) has prepared updated guidelines to aid clinicians in the current evidence-based ...management of UTUC and to incorporate recommendations into clinical practice.
To provide an overview of the EAU guidelines on UTUC as an aid to clinicians.
The recommendations provided in the current guidelines are based on a thorough review of available UTUC guidelines and articles identified following a systematic search of Medline. Data on urothelial malignancies and UTUC were searched using the following keywords: urinary tract cancer, urothelial carcinomas, upper urinary tract carcinoma, renal pelvis, ureter, bladder cancer, chemotherapy, ureteroscopy, nephroureterectomy, neoplasm, adjuvant treatment, instillation, recurrence, risk factors, and survival. References were weighted by a panel of experts.
Owing to the rarity of UTUC, there are insufficient data to provide strong recommendations. The 2017 tumour, node, metastasis (TNM) classification is recommended. Recommendations are given for diagnosis and risk stratification as well as for radical and conservative treatment, and prognostic factors are discussed. A single postoperative dose of intravesical mitomycin after nephroureterectomy reduces the risk of bladder tumour recurrence. Kidney-sparing management should be offered as a primary treatment option to patients with low-risk tumour and two functional kidneys. After radical nephroureterectomy, cisplatin-based chemotherapy is indicated in locally advanced UTUC.
These guidelines contain information on the management of individual patients according to a current standardised approach. Urologists should take into account the specific clinical characteristics of each patient when determining the optimal treatment regimen, based on the proposed risk stratification of these tumours.
Urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract is rare, but because 60% of these tumours are invasive at diagnosis, an appropriate diagnosis is most important. A number of known risk factors exist.
Based on the most recent evidence, the 2020 European Association of Urology guidelines on upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma aim to provide information on the management of individual patients according to a current standardised approach. Urologists should take the specific clinical characteristics of each patient into account when determining the optimal treatment regimen, based on the proposed risk stratification of these tumours.
Abstract Context Penile cancer has high mortality once metastatic spread has occurred. Local treatment can be mutilating and devastating for the patient. Progress has been made in organ-preserving ...local treatment, lymph node management, and multimodal treatment of lymphatic metastases, requiring an update of the European Association of Urology guidelines. Objective To provide an evidence-based update of treatment recommendations based on the literature published since 2008. Evidence acquisition A PubMed search covering the period from August 2008 to November 2013 was performed, and 352 full-text papers were reviewed. Levels of evidence were assessed and recommendations graded. Because there is a lack of controlled trials or large series, the levels of evidence and grades of recommendation are low compared with those for more common diseases. Evidence synthesis Penile squamous cell carcinoma occurs in distinct histologic variants, some of which are related to human papilloma virus infection; others are not. Primary local treatment should be organ preserving, if possible. There are no outcome differences between local treatment modes in superficial and T1 disease. Management of inguinal lymph nodes is crucial for prognosis. In impalpable nodes, invasive staging should be done depending on the risk factors of the primary tumour. Lymph node metastases should be treated by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy in N2/N3 disease. Conclusions Organ preservation has become the standard approach to low-stage penile cancer, whereas in lymphatic disease, it is recognised that multimodal treatment with radical inguinal node surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy improves outcome. Patient summary Approximately 80% of penile cancer patients of all stages can be cured. With increasing experience in the management of penile cancer, it is recognized that organ-preserving treatment allows for better quality of life and sexual function and should be offered to all patients whenever feasible. Referral to centres with experience is recommended.
Abstract Context The European Association of Urology (EAU) panel on Non–muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC) released an updated version of the guidelines on Non–muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer. ...Objective To present the 2016 EAU guidelines on NMIBC. Evidence acquisition A broad and comprehensive scoping exercise covering all areas of the NMIBC guidelines published between April 1, 2014, and May 31, 2015, was performed. Databases covered by the search included Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Libraries. Previous guidelines were updated, and levels of evidence and grades of recommendation were assigned. Evidence synthesis Tumours staged as TaT1 or carcinoma in situ (CIS) are grouped as NMIBC. Diagnosis depends on cystoscopy and histologic evaluation of the tissue obtained by transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) in papillary tumours or by multiple bladder biopsies in CIS. In papillary lesions, a complete TURB is essential for the patient's prognosis. If the initial resection is incomplete, there is no muscle in the specimen, or a high-grade or T1 tumour is detected, a second TURB should be performed within 2–6 wk. The risks of both recurrence and progression may be estimated for individual patients using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) scoring system and risk tables. The stratification of patients into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups is pivotal to recommending adjuvant treatment. For patients with a low-risk tumour and intermediate-risk patients at a lower risk of recurrence, one immediate instillation of chemotherapy is recommended. Patients with an intermediate-risk tumour should receive 1 yr of full-dose bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) intravesical immunotherapy or instillations of chemotherapy for a maximum of 1 yr. In patients with high-risk tumours, full-dose intravesical BCG for 1–3 yr is indicated. In patients at highest risk of tumour progression, immediate radical cystectomy (RC) should be considered. RC is recommended in BCG-refractory tumours. The long version of the guidelines is available at the EAU Web site ( www.uroweb.org/guidelines ). Conclusions These abridged EAU guidelines present updated information on the diagnosis and treatment of NMIBC for incorporation into clinical practice. Patient summary The European Association of Urology has released updated guidelines on Non–muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC). Stratification of patients into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups is essential for decisions about adjuvant intravesical instillations. Risk tables can be used to estimate risks of recurrence and progression. Radical cystectomy should be considered only in case of failure of instillations or in NMIBC with the highest risk of progression.
The 2022 World Health Organization classification contains new renal tumour entities. Some of them are based on a molecular driver event. The classification of penile squamous cell carcinomas is ...simplified and based on the presence of human papillomavirus. A new chapter with tumours of the scrotum has been introduced. Nomenclature changes of testicular tumours include replacement of the term “primitive neuroectodermal tumour” by “embryonic neuroectodermal tumour”. The term “carcinoid” has been changed to “neuroendocrine tumour”.
The fifth edition of the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of urogenital tumours (WHO “Blue Book”), published in 2022, contains significant revisions. This review summarises the most relevant changes for renal, penile, and testicular tumours. In keeping with other volumes in the fifth edition series, the WHO classification of urogenital tumours follows a hierarchical classification and lists tumours by site, category, family, and type. The section “essential and desirable diagnostic criteria” included in the WHO fifth edition represents morphologic diagnostic criteria, combined with immunohistochemistry and relevant molecular tests. The global introduction of massive parallel sequencing will result in a diagnostic shift from morphology to molecular analyses. Therefore, a molecular-driven renal tumour classification has been introduced, taking recent discoveries in renal tumour genomics into account. Such novel molecularly defined epithelial renal tumours include SMARCB1-deficient medullary renal cell carcinoma (RCC), TFEB-altered RCC, Alk-rearranged RCC, and ELOC-mutated RCC. Eosinophilic solid and cystic RCC is a novel morphologically defined RCC entity. The diverse morphologic patterns of penile squamous cell carcinomas are grouped as human papillomavirus (HPV) associated and HPV independent, and there is an attempt to simplify the morphologic classification. A new chapter with tumours of the scrotum has been introduced. The main nomenclature of testicular tumours is retained, including the use of the term “germ cell neoplasia in situ” (GCNIS) for the preneoplastic lesion of most germ cell tumours and division from those not derived from GCNIS. Nomenclature changes include replacement of the term “primitive neuroectodermal tumour” by “embryonic neuroectodermal tumour” to separate these tumours clearly from Ewing sarcoma. The term “carcinoid” has been changed to “neuroendocrine tumour”, with most examples in the testis now classified as “prepubertal type testicular neuroendocrine tumour”.
Abstract Context There is uncertainty regarding the oncologic effectiveness of kidney-sparing surgery (KSS) compared with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). ...Objective To systematically review the current literature comparing oncologic outcomes of KSS versus RNU for UTUC. Evidence acquisition A computerised bibliographic search of the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases was performed for all studies reporting comparative oncologic outcomes of KSS versus RNU. Approaches considered for KSS were segmental ureterectomy (SU) and ureteroscopic (URS) or percutaneous (PC) management. Using the methodology recommended by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis guidelines, we identified 22 nonrandomised comparative retrospective studies published between 1999 and 2015 that were eligible for inclusion in this systematic review. A narrative review and risk-of-bias (RoB) assessment were performed using cancer-specific survival (CSS) as the primary end point. Evidence synthesis Seven studies compared KSS overall ( n = 547) versus RNU ( n = 1376). Information on the comparison of SU ( n = 586) versus RNU ( n = 3692), URS ( n = 162) versus RNU ( n = 367), and PC ( n = 66) versus RNU ( n = 114) was available in 10, 5, and 2 studies, respectively. No significant difference was found between SU and RNU in terms of CSS or any other oncologic outcomes. Only patients with low-grade and noninvasive tumours experienced similar CSS after URS or PC when compared with RNU, despite an increased risk of local recurrence following endoscopic management of UTUC. The RoB assessment revealed, however, that the analyses were subject to a selection bias favouring KSS. Conclusions Our systematic review suggests similar survival after KSS versus RNU only for low-grade and noninvasive UTUC when using URS or PC. However, selected patients with high-grade and invasive UTUC could safely benefit from SU when feasible. These results should be interpreted with caution due to the risk of selection bias. Patient summary We reviewed the studies that compared kidney-sparing surgery versus radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma. We found similar oncologic outcomes for favourable tumours when using ureteroscopic or percutaneous management, whereas indications for segmental ureterectomy could be extended to selected cases of aggressive tumours.
Abstract Context Invasive bladder cancer is a frequently occurring disease with a high mortality rate despite optimal treatment. The European Association of Urology (EAU) Muscle-invasive and ...Metastatic Bladder Cancer (MIBC) Guidelines are updated yearly and provides information to optimise diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of this patient population. Objective To provide a summary of the EAU guidelines for physicians and patients confronted with muscle-invasive and metastatic bladder cancer. Evidence acquisition An international multidisciplinary panel of bladder cancer experts reviewed and discussed the results of a comprehensive literature search of several databases covering all sections of the guidelines. The panel defined levels of evidence and grades of recommendation according to an established classification system. Evidence synthesis Epidemiology and aetiology of bladder cancer are discussed. The proper diagnostic pathway, including demands for pathology and imaging, is outlined. Several treatment options, including bladder-sparing treatments and combinations of treatment modalities (different forms of surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy) are described. Sequencing of these modalities is discussed. Potential indications and contraindications, such as comorbidity, are related to treatment choice. There is a new paragraph on organ-sparing approaches, both in men and in women, and on minimal invasive surgery. Recommendations for chemotherapy in fit and unfit patients are provided including second-line options. Finally, a follow-up schedule is provided. Conclusions The current summary of the EAU Muscle-invasive and Metastatic Bladder Cancer Guidelines provides an up-to-date overview of the available literature and evidence dealing with diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of patients with metastatic and muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Patient summary Bladder cancer is an important disease with a high mortality rate. These updated guidelines help clinicians refine the diagnosis and select the appropriate therapy and follow-up for patients with metastatic and muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
PDF