Clinical trial · Interventional
Radical Nephroureterectomy With vs Without Template Lymph Node Dissection in High-Risk Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma (T-LND UTUC)
Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Radical Nephroureterectomy With Versus Without Template Lymph Node Dissection in High-Risk Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: A Multicenter, Prospective, Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if adding a template lymph node dissection (TLND) to the standard surgery for upper tract urothelial cancer (UTUC) can improve patient survival and prevent the cancer from recurrence. The main questions it aims to answer are: Do patients who receive standard surgery with LND live longer without their cancer returning? Is adding LND safe, and how does it affect surgery-related complications? Researchers will compare the group receiving standard surgery plus LND to the group receiving standard surgery alone to see if adding LND is more effective. Participants will: Be randomly assigned to one of the two surgical groups. Undergo their assigned surgery and recover in the hospital. Attend regular follow-up visits for checkups and scans for 5 years to monitor for cancer recurrence, with the possibility of long-term follow-up extending to 10 years.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lymph Node Dissection | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma | Renal Pelvis and Ureter Carcinoma | CURATED_BROADER | 0.80 |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selective Lymph Node Resection | Procedure | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Template Lymph Node Dissection | Procedure | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- RNU + Template Lymph Node Dissection
- description
- Participants in this arm will undergo Radical Nephroureterectomy (RNU) combined with template Lymph Node Dissection (LND). The LND will be performed according to a predefined template based on the primary tumor location: renal hilum+para-aortic (left hilar and paraaortic) or renal hilum+para-caval (right hilar, paracaval, and interaortocaval) for renal pelvis/upper ureter; extended to common/external iliac for mid-ureter; and pelvic (common, external, internal iliac, and obturator) for lower ureter. The surgical approach (open, laparoscopic, or robot-assisted) is at the surgeon's discretion.
- interventionNames
- Procedure: Template Lymph Node Dissection
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- RNU + Selective Lymph Node Resection
- description
- Participants in this arm will undergo Radical Nephroureterectomy (RNU) alone. No template lymph node dissection will be performed. However, if intraoperatively identified suspicious and radiographic lymphadenopathy (\>1 cm in the short-axis diameter) are present, they may be removed for pathological staging purposes only.
- interventionNames
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Signed written informed consent form (ICF). * Age \> 18 years at the time of ICF signing. * Clinical diagnosis of unilateral Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma (UTUC) by imaging (enhanced CT or MRI) and/or ureteroscopic biopsy/urinary cytology, and scheduled to undergo Radical Nephroureterectomy (RNU). * Clinical assessment indicating that the tumor and regional lymph nodes are completely resectable, with at least one of the following high-risk features: 1. Locally advanced: Preoperative imaging assessed as cT2 stage or higher (i.e., tumor invades muscularis propria or deeper). 2. High-grade: Preoperative ureteroscopic biopsy pathology confirmed as high-grade urothelial carcinoma (or with squamous differentiation/sarcomatoid differentiation). 3. Moderate or severe hydronephrosis: Ipsilateral moderate or severe hydronephrosis due to tumor obstruction. 4. Large tumor size: Imaging measures maximum tumor diameter \> 2 cm. 5. cN1: Imaging suggests regional lymph node short-axis diameter \> 1 cm, and the investigator judges it to be resectable. * Presence of at least one measurable lesion according to RECIST v1.1 criteria. * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1. * Adequate organ function meeting the following requirements (without use of any blood components or colony-stimulating factors within 14 days): Bone marrow function: Neutrophils ≥ 1,500/mm³, Platelets ≥ 100,000/mm³, Hemoglobin ≥ 9 g/dL (5.6 mmol/L). Renal function: Serum creatinine ≤ 1.5 mg/dL and/or Creatinine clearance ≥ 60 mL/min. Liver function: Total bilirubin ≤ 1.5 × ULN, AST \& ALT ≤ 1.5 × ULN. * For women of childbearing potential (WOCBP): Must agree to use a highly effective medically approved contraceptive method during the treatment period and for 3 months after treatment ends. A negative serum or urine pregnancy test within 7 days before enrollment is required; must be non-lactating. For non-sterilized male patients: Must agree to use effective contraception with their partner during the treatment period and for 3 months after treatment ends. * Subject voluntarily joins the study, has good compliance, and agrees to undergo safety and survival follow-up. Exclusion Criteria: * Previous receipt of any anti-tumor therapy for UTUC, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or targeted therapy. * History or concurrent presence of muscle-invasive bladder urothelial carcinoma. * Preoperative imaging assesses regional lymph nodes as unresectable: lymph nodes fused into a massive conglomerate, or fully encasing the abdominal aorta/inferior vena cava/pelvic vessels preventing safe separation. * Known bilateral UTUC or hereditary diseases that definitively increase the risk of contralateral upper tract tumors, such as Lynch Syndrome. * Diagnosis of other active malignancies within the past 5 years (except for adequately treated basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, or carcinoma in situ of the cervix which have been cured and show no recurrence within 5 years). * Presence of any active autoimmune disease or history of autoimmune disease. * Current use of immunosuppressants for immunosuppressive purposes, continued within 2 weeks prior to enrollment. * Poorly controlled cardiac clinical symptoms or diseases. * Coagulation abnormalities or bleeding tendency. * Presence of specific active gastrointestinal conditions or uncontrolled tumor bleeding. * History of significant bleeding, hemoptysis, or thromboembolic events within specified timeframes. * Active infection or unexplained fever \> 38.5°C during screening or before the first dose. * Occurrence of abdominal fistula, gastrointestinal perforation, or intra-abdominal abscess within 4 weeks prior to surgery. * History or current objective evidence of pulmonary fibrosis, interstitial pneumonia, pneumoconiosis, radiation pneumonitis, drug-related pneumonia, severely impaired pulmonary function, etc. * Congenital or acquired immunodeficiency. * Participation in another clinical study within 1 month prior to enrollment, or potential receipt of other systemic anti-tumor therapy during the study period. * Known history of psychotropic drug abuse, alcohol abuse, or drug use. * Inability or unwillingness to bear the out-of-pocket costs of examinations and treatments. * Any other condition deemed by the investigator to make the subject unsuitable for participation.
References
Publications (27)
- BACKGROUNDHsieh HC, Wang CL, Chen CS, Yang CK, Li JR, Wang SS, Cheng CL, Lin CY, Chiu KY. The prognostic impact of lymph node dissection for clinically node-negative upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma in patients who are treated with radical nephroureterectomy. PLoS One. 2022 Dec 1;17(12):e0278038. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278038. eCollection 2022. PMID 36454803
- BACKGROUNDBobjer J, Gerdtsson A, Abrahamsson J, Baseckas G, Bergkvist M, Blackberg M, Brandstedt J, Jancke G, Hagberg O, Kollberg P, Lundstrom KJ, Lofgren A, Nyberg M, Rian Martensson L, Saemundsson Y, Stahl E, Sorenby A, Warnolf A, Liedberg F. Location of Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Metastases in Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: Results from a Prospective Lymph Node Mapping Study. Eur Urol Open Sci. 2023 Sep 27;57:37-44. doi: 10.1016/j.euros.2023.09.010. eCollection 2023 Nov. PMID 38020529
- BACKGROUNDLi X, Cui M, Gu X, Fang D, Li H, Qin S, Yang K, Zhu T, Li X, Zhou L, Gao XS, Wang D. Pattern and risk factors of local recurrence after nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma. World J Surg Oncol. 2020 May 30;18(1):114. doi: 10.1186/s12957-020-01877-w. PMID 32473636
- BACKGROUNDZareba P, Rosenzweig B, Winer AG, Coleman JA. Association between lymph node yield and survival among patients undergoing radical nephroureterectomy for urothelial carcinoma of the upper tract. Cancer. 2017 May 15;123(10):1741-1750. doi: 10.1002/cncr.30516. Epub 2017 Feb 2. PMID 28152158
- BACKGROUNDHuang J, Qian H, Yuan Y, Cai X, Chen Y, Zhang J, Kong W, Wu X, Cao M, Huang Y, Chen H, Xue W. Prospective Clinical Trial of the Oncologic Outcomes and Safety of Extraperitoneal Laparoscopic Extended Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection at Time of Nephroureterectomy for Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma. Front Oncol. 2022 Feb 24;12:791140. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.791140. eCollection 2022. PMID 35280720
- BACKGROUNDZhai TS, Jin L, Zhou Z, Liu X, Liu H, Chen W, Lu JY, Yao XD, Feng LM, Ye L. Effect of lymph node dissection on stage-specific survival in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma treated with nephroureterectomy. BMC Cancer. 2019 Dec 12;19(1):1207. doi: 10.1186/s12885-019-6364-z.