Significance of Perioperative Chemotherapy in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Upper and Lower Urinary Tract

Background/aim To evaluate the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the urinary tract (UT) urothelium, and investigate the utility of perioperative chemotherapy. Patients and methods Thirty-three patients diagnosed with SCC in renal pelvis, ureter and bladder at the Kanazawa University between 2007 and 2017 were included in this retrospective study. Cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates according to cancer stage and neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) were determined. Results Among the entire cohort, two-year CSS rates were 100%, 75%, 47% and 0% in stages I, II, III and IV, respectively, with a significant correlation between CSS and cancer stage (p=0.0063). Sixteen patients underwent radical surgery, and seven patients received NAC; however, there were no significant differences in CSS rates among patients stratified by NAC (p=0.7043). Conclusion Worse cancer stage for SCC of UT urothelium was associated with worse prognosis. Given the poor efficacy of NAC in these patients, surgical treatment should be preferred.