Department of Urology, Churchill Hospital, Oxford, UK.
Department of Urology, University College Hospital, London, UK.
Urol Oncol. 2014 Jan;32(1):28.e11-20. doi: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2012.10.002. Epub 2013 Feb 19.
Primary upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a relatively rare tumor with up to 60% of cases being muscle invasive at presentation. In this article we review the molecular biology of UTUC, an understanding of which may help to address some of the dilemmas surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of this disease and ultimately lead to the introduction of personalized treatment plans.
The literature search on the molecular aspects of UTUC was performed using the National Library of Medicine database.
UTUC and urothelial carcinomas of the bladder share many common biological pathways. UTUC are more commonly associated with conditions such as Balkan Endemic Nephropathy and Hereditary Non Polyposis Colon Cancer (HNPCC), the molecular basis of which is now being understood. A large number of potential biomarkers have been studied to help identify robust prognostic markers in UTUC.
Advances in our understanding of the biology of UTUC is may in the future help to identify novel druggable targets, clinically applicable biomarkers and guide treatment of the rare but lethal condition.
原发性上尿路尿路上皮癌（UTUC）是一种相对罕见的肿瘤，多达 60%的病例在初诊时即为肌层浸润性。本文综述了 UTUC 的分子生物学，对其的理解可能有助于解决该疾病诊断和治疗中的一些难题，并最终促使引入个体化治疗方案。
使用美国国立医学图书馆数据库对 UTUC 的分子方面进行文献检索。
UTUC 与膀胱尿路上皮癌有许多共同的生物学途径。UTUC 更常与巴尔干地方性肾病和遗传性非息肉病性结直肠癌（HNPCC）等疾病相关，其分子基础现已得到理解。大量潜在的生物标志物已被研究，以帮助确定 UTUC 中稳健的预后标志物。
对 UTUC 生物学的认识的提高可能有助于在未来确定新的可药物治疗靶点、临床适用的生物标志物，并指导对罕见但致命疾病的治疗。
