Sarcomatoid variant urothelial carcinoma of the bladder: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the clinicopathological features and survival outcomes
Liangyou Gu, Qing Ai, Qiang Cheng, Xin Ma, Baojun Wang, Qingbo Huang, Xin‐Tao Li, Peng Zhang, Kan Liu, Xupeng Zhao, Hongzhao Li, Xu Zhang
Abstract
BACKGROUND: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to compare the clinicopathological features and survival outcomes between sarcomatoid variant (SV)-urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) and conventional UCB (C-UCB). METHODS: A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library was performed. Endpoints included clinicopathological features and survival outcomes (overall survival [OS], cancer-specific survival [CSS], and progression-free survival [PFS]). The survival benefits of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) or adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) for SV-UCB also have been studied. RESULTS: A total of 8 observational studies were included. Patients with SV-UCB had a higher rate of ≥ stage pT3 (odds ratio [OR], 2.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.64-2.59; p < 0.001) and a lower rate of concomitant carcinoma in situ (OR, 0.25; 95% CI, 0.09-0.72; p = 0.010). The other clinicopathological variables were similar between SV-UCB and C-UCB. With unadjusted data, patients with SV-UCB had a significant inferior OS (HR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.07-1.44; p = 0.004) and CSS (HR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.63-2.66; p < 0.001). However, after adjusted, SV-UCB had worse OS (HR, 1.41; 95% CI, 0.95-2.08; p = 0.090) and CSS (HR, 1.54; 95% CI, 0.95-2.52; p = 0.080) approaching the borderline of significance. For SV-UCB, NAC (HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.51-1.05; p = 0.090) and AC (HR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.66-1.17; p = 0.370) seemed to have no benefit on OS. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to C-UCB, SV-UCB was associated with more advanced disease and more inferior OS and CSS. NAC and AC had no survival benefit for SV-UCB.