Background: The aim of this study was to assess the association between the severity of hematuria (microscopic or gross) and the tumor stage and grade in a population of histopathologically confirmed upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) patients.
Patients and methods: We conducted a multicenter, observational study of patients who were newly diagnosed with UTUC between January 2011 and December 2016. Demographic information, pathology, and the status of hematuria were retrospectively reviewed. The association between the severity of hematuria and the tumor stage and grade was evaluated using logistic regression.
Results: The UTUC patients presented with gross hematuria (GH, 76.7%), microscopic hematuria (MH, 11.1%), and no hematuria (12.2%) at the time of diagnosis. The pathological stages at diagnosis for those with MH were Ta in 5.1%, T1 in 47.5%, and ≥T2 in 47.5%. The stages at diagnosis for those with GH were Ta in 1.7%, T1 in 35.5%, and ≥T2 in 62.7%. On univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses, after adjusting for clinical factors such as age, gender, and smoking history, GH was an independent risk factor for muscle-invasive UTUC (≥T2 disease) at diagnosis (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.073–3.329; P =0.027). High-grade tumor was found in 47.8% of patients with GH and 39.0% of those with MH. The severity of hematuria was not associated with tumor grade.
Conclusion: We are the first to report evidence that microscopic hematuria at presentation accurately predicts lower pathological stage in patients with newly diagnosed UTUC. Earlier detection of disease, before the development of GH, may influence the treatment decision and survival. The type of hematuria at the time of diagnosis does not impact the tumor grade.
Keywords: upper tract urothelial carcinoma, gross hematuria, microscopic hematuria, stage