Does preoperative symptom classification impact prognosis in patients with clinically localized upper-tract urothelial carcinoma managed by radical nephroureterectomy?

Local symptoms do not confer worse prognosis compared with patients with incidentally detected UTUC. However, systemic symptoms are associated with worse outcomes despite apparently effective RNU. Patients with systemic symptoms may harbor micrometastatic disease and could potentially benefit from a more rigorous metastatic evaluation or perioperative chemotherapy regimens.