AUA Unveils 2023 UTUC Clinical Practice Guideline

The American Urological Association (AUA) has released their 2023 clinical practice guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of nonmetastatic upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). The guideline offers 38 recommendations for the treatment of UTUC as a reference for effective evidence-based management. The UTUC panel was created in 2021 in collaboration with the Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO).

Highlights from the guideline include:

• Diagnosis and evaluation: How to manage lower tract tumors and minimize risk of ureteral injury
• Risk stratification: Steps for clinicians to take before and after completing standardized assessments
• Treatment: Updated recommendations for kidney-sparing management, lymph node dissection, surgical management, and neoadjuvant/adjuvant chemotherapy and immunotherapy
• Surveillance and survivorship: Post-treatment surveillance such as after kidney-sparing and radical nephroureterectomy (NU), and for T2+ disease managed with NU

“SUO has been honored to work alongside the AUA to help develop numerous guidelines in urology,” said Jeffrey Holzbeierlein, MD, president of SUO and vice president and physician-in-chief at the University of Kansas Cancer Center. “We believe it’s important to take [a] difficult diagnosis like nonmetastatic UTUC and disseminate the most up-to-date information possible.”

The full guideline can be viewed on the AUA website.