Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40116662›Full record

ArticleCanadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada2025

Open, laparoscopic, and robotic radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma Comparing outcomes and the tetrafecta as a composite marker of surgery quality.

Maxwell Sandberg, Parth Udayan Thakker, Rory Ritts, Megan Escott, Mary Namugosa, Adam Cohen, Stephen Tranchina, Kimberly Waggener, Madeline Snipes, XiXi Yi and 4 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Canadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Maxwell SandbergDepartment of Urology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC, United States.
Parth Udayan ThakkerDepartment of Urology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC, United States.
Rory RittsDepartment of Urology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC, United States.
Megan EscottDepartment of Urology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC, United States.
Mary NamugosaDepartment of Urology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC, United States.
Adam CohenDepartment of Urology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC, United States.
Stephen TranchinaDepartment of Urology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC, United States.
Kimberly WaggenerDepartment of Urology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC, United States.
Madeline SnipesDepartment of Urology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC, United States.
XiXi YiCampbell University-School of Osteopathic Medicine, Harnett, NC, United States.
Justin RefugiaDepartment of Urology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC, United States.
Gregory RussellDepartment of Biostatistics and Data Science, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC, United States.
Timothy O'RourkeDepartment of Urology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC, United States.
Ashok Kumar HemalDepartment of Urology, Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston Salem, NC, United States.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionThe purpose of this study was to compare surgical outcomes and costs between robotic radical nephroureterectomy (RNU), laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy (LNU), and open radical nephroureterectomy (ONU), and to assess the relevance of the tetrafecta as a composite outcome on survival parameters after nephroureterectomy (NU).

methodsOperative and oncologic followup data was retrospectively collected on patients who underwent NU from 2006-2022 at our institution. The tetrafecta was defined as a true bladder cuff, lymph node dissection, negative surgical margins, and no postoperative complications. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess the impact of surgical approach on survival outcomes.

resultsA total of 248 patients were included in the analysis (145 RNU, 61 LNU, and 42 ONU). The complication rate differed by approach and was lowest in RNU (p<0.01). Cancer-specific survival (CSS) differed between ONU and RNU patients, with ONU patients 2.51 times as likely to die from their cancer. Retroperitoneal recurrence-free survival (RPFS) differed between ONU and RNU patients, with ONU patients 7.22 times more likely to experience a retroperitoneal recurrence (p=0.0013). Variable surgical costs were lower in LNU compared to ONU (p=0.028) and direct inpatient hospital costs were lowest with RNU (p<0.01). Eighty-one patients met criteria for the tetrafecta. RNU patients were more likely to achieve the tetrafecta compared to LNU (p<0.01) and ONU (p<0.01) patients. No differences in survival parameters existed between patients who did and did not achieve the tetrafecta.

conclusionsMost oncologic outcomes after NU do not differ by approach on long-term followup; however, CSS and RPFS appear to differ between RNU and ONU. ONU has traditionally been considered the approach with the lowest cost; however, our analysis demonstrates both RNU and LNU require lower costs than ONU, depending on the cost parameter analyzed. Among all approaches, the tetrafecta is best achieved with RNU.

Identifiers

PMID40116662
PMCPMC12240263

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.