# Comparative survival outcomes of minimally invasive versus open radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma in Taiwan

## TL;DR

Minimally invasive surgery for upper tract urothelial carcinoma in Taiwan shows better survival outcomes than open surgery.

## Contribution

Demonstrates that minimally invasive radical nephroureterectomy improves survival outcomes compared to open surgery in UTUC patients.

## Key findings

- Minimally invasive surgery showed significantly improved overall survival compared to open surgery.
- Disease-free and cancer-specific survival were also better in the minimally invasive group.
- MIS outcomes were maintained despite higher prevalence of high-grade tumors in MIS patients.

## Abstract

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is rare globally but accounts for 30–40% of urothelial cancers in Taiwan. Radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) with bladder cuff excision (BCE) remains the standard of care for localized or locally advanced disease. Despite the increasing adoption of minimally invasive surgical (MIS) approaches, concerns about their oncological outcomes persist. This study evaluates the comparative survival outcomes of MIS versus open RNU for UTUC using propensity-score-matched (PSM) analysis.

Data from 2430 patients with UTUC, treated between 1988 and 2022 within the Taiwan UTUC Collaboration Group, were retrospectively analyzed. PSM was employed to minimize baseline differences. The primary endpoints were overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and disease-free survival (DFS). Kaplan-Meier estimates, stratified log-rank tests, and Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate survival outcomes.

After PSM, 1758 patients (1172 MIS; 586 open) were included. The MIS group demonstrated significantly improved OS (OR: 0.662; p < 0.001), CSS (OR: 0.659; p = 0.002), and DFS (OR: 0.646; p < 0.001) compared to the open group. MIS was associated with superior survival despite a higher prevalence of high-grade tumors and adverse pathological features.

MIS approaches, including laparoscopic and robotic RNU, offer oncological outcomes comparable to or better than open RNU in UTUC. These findings support the broader adoption of MIS techniques, emphasizing meticulous BCE to ensure oncological control.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00345-025-05829-5.