Characteristics of 36 patients with upper urinary tract carcinoma undergoing diagnostic URS biopsy and RNU.
| Variables | Category | Total | FGFR3 RNA test of RNU specimen | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test failure | No alteration | Alteration | P value # | |||
| No. of patients | Total | 36 (100%) | 3 (8.3%) | 25 (69%) | 8 (22%) | - |
| Treatment period (archival sample age) | 2018–2020 (5–7 years) | 15 (42%) | 3 (100%) | 10 (40%) | 2 (25%) | 0.20 † |
| 2021–2022 (3–4 years) | 7 (19%) | 0 | 5 (20%) | 2 (25%) | ||
| 2023–2025 (2 years or less) | 14 (39%) | 0 | 10 (40%) | 4 (50%) | ||
| Sex | Male | 25 (69%) | 2 (67%) | 16 (64%) | 7 (88%) | 0.38 † |
| Female | 11 (31%) | 1 (33%) | 9 (36%) | 1 (13%) | ||
| Age at RNU | (mean ± SD) | 73 ± 7.1 | 71 ± 9.8 | 74 ± 4.7 | 69 ± 8.5 | 0.15 ‡ |
| Tumor grade in URS biopsy specimen | Low-grade | 9 (25%) | 3 (100%) | 4 (16%) | 2 (25%) | 0.60 † |
| High-grade | 24 (67%) | 0 | 19 (76%) | 5 (63%) | ||
| Undefined | 3 (8.3%) | 0 | 2 (8.0%) | 1 (13%) | ||
| H-score of FGFR3 in URS biopsy specimen | Mean ± SD | 48 ± 67 | 1.7 ± 2.8 | 21 ± 24 | 150 ± 70 | < 0.0001 ‡ |
| Median, IQR | 25 (0–58) | 0 (0–5) | 15 (0–40) | 150 (85–203) | ||
| Tumor grade in RNU specimen | Low-grade | 6 (17%) | 0 | 3 (12%) | 3 (38%) | 0.14 † |
| High-grade | 30 (83%) | 3 (100%) | 22 (88%) | 5 (63%) | ||
| CIS in RNU specimen | No | 29 (81%) | 3 (100%) | 18 (72%) | 8 (100%) | 0.15 † |
| Yes | 7 (19%) | 0 | 7 (28%) | 0 | ||
| Pathological T (pT) category ## | pTa | 6 (17%) | 0 | 3 (12%) | 3 (38%) | 0.17 † |
| pTis | 1 (2.8%) | 0 | 1 (4.0%) | 0 | ||
| pT1 | 3 (8.3%) | 1 (33%) | 1 (4.0%) | 1 (13%) | ||
| pT2 | 7 (19%) | 1 (33%) | 4 (16%) | 2 (25%) | ||
| pT3 | 15 (42%) | 0 | 13 (52%) | 2 (25%) | ||
| pT4 | 4 (11%) | 1 (33%) | 3 (12%) | 0 | ||
| H-score of FGFR3 in RNU specimen | Mean ± SD | 112 ± 88 | 107 ± 100 | 78 ± 64 | 218 ± 74 | 0.0078 ‡ |
| Median (IQR) | 100 (33–178) | 100 (10–210) | 60 (20–140) | 225 (150–293) | ||
CIS: carcinoma in situ; FGFR3: fibroblast growth factor receptor 3; H-score: histochemical scoring method; IQR, interquartile range; RNU: radical nephroureterectomy; SD, standard deviation; URS: ureteroscopic. #: Compared between no FGFR3 alteration and FGFR3 alteration according to FGFR3 RNA test; ##: non muscle-invasive disease (Ta/is/1) vs muscle-invasive disease (T2-4); †: the Fisher's exact test; ‡: Mann–Whitney U test; Totals may not add up to 100% due to rounding.