a Section of Pathological Anatomy, School of Medicine, United Hospitals , Polytechnic University of the Marche Region , Ancona , Italy.
b Oncology Unit , Macerata Hospital , Macerata , Italy.
Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2018 Dec;18(12):1021-1028. doi: 10.1080/14737159.2018.1549490. Epub 2018 Nov 27.
Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) accounts for 5% of urothelial carcinomas (UCs), the estimated annual incidence being 1-2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The aim of this review was to summarize the main morphologic features of UTUC as well as the current status and future role of its molecular characterization in diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. Areas covered: Several studies on the UTUCs have shown the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic significance of standard pathological features, such as tumor stage, grade, and lymph node metastasis. Investigations have also identified novel factors, in particular, variant histologies, and molecular biomarkers. Based on these, predictive tools have been developed. Expert commentary: The morphology of the UTUC has been considered to be the same as that of Bladder Urothelial carcinoma (BUC). Molecular characterization studies, including genomics, have shown changes in UTUC occurring at differing frequencies in comparison with BUC, the former with unique molecular subtypes and different responses to treatment.
上尿路尿路上皮癌（UTUC）占尿路上皮癌（UCs）的 5%，估计年发病率为每 10 万人中有 1-2 例。本综述的目的是总结 UTUC 的主要形态学特征，以及其分子特征在诊断、预后和治疗中的现状和未来作用。
几项关于 UTUC 的研究表明，标准病理特征（如肿瘤分期、分级和淋巴结转移）具有诊断、预后和治疗意义。研究还发现了新的因素，特别是变异组织学和分子生物标志物。在此基础上，已经开发出了预测工具。
UTUC 的形态被认为与膀胱尿路上皮癌（BUC）相同。包括基因组学在内的分子特征研究表明，与 BUC 相比，UTUC 发生的变化频率不同，前者具有独特的分子亚型和对治疗的不同反应。
