Final results of a multicenter prospective phase II clinical trial of gemcitabine and cisplatin as neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with high-grade upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

Abstract

440 Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has proven survival benefits for invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder, yet its role in upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) remains undefined. We conducted a phase II multicenter trial of NAC with gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC) in patients with high-risk UTUC prior to extirpative surgery to evaluate major outcomes of response, survival, and tolerability. Methods: Eligible patients with defined criteria for high-risk localized UTUC received four cycles of GC prior to surgical resection and lymph node dissection. The primary study endpoint was pathologic response rate (defined as < pT2N0). Patients with progressive disease prior or unable to proceed to surgery were considered treatment failures. Secondary endpoints included time to disease progression (PFS), overall survival (OS), and safety and tolerability. Results: Among 57 patients evaluated, 36 (63%) demonstrated pathologic response, meeting the primary endpoint of the study. A complete response was noted in 11 patients (19%), defined as pT0N0. Forty patients (70%) tolerated all four cycles of GC, and all patients proceeded to surgery. The 90-day ≥ grade 3 surgical complication rate was 7.0%. With a median follow up of 42.3 months among survivors, six patients succumbed to disease. Two and five-year PFS were 76% (95% CI 66, 89) and 61% (95% CI 47, 78). Two and five-year OS were 93% (95% CI 86, 100) and 79% (95% CI 67, 94). Patients demonstrating pathologic response had improved PFS and OS compared to those who did not (two-year PFS 91% vs 52%, log-rank p < 0.001, two-year OS 100% vs 80%, log-rank p < 0.001). Conclusions: NAC for high-risk UTUC demonstrates outcomes of favorable pathologic response, is well tolerated requiring minimal delay to surgery without significant perioperative complication risk, and thus should be considered a new standard of care option for patients with high-risk UTUC. Better survival outcomes in patients with favorable pathologic features after NAC indicate a potential clinical benefit to this approach. Clinical trial information: NCT01261728.