New Insights into Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma: Lessons Learned from the ROBUUST Collaborative Study.

Abstract

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a rare malignancy, representing only 5-10% of urothelial carcinoma. The mainstay of treatment for high-risk patients is radical nephroureterectomy. Given the aggressive behavior of this disease, additional treatments could be required perioperatively in terms of chemotherapy (CHT), either in a neoadjuvant or adjuvant setting. On the other hand, low-risk and selected cases can be managed with kidney-sparing surgery (KSS). The ROBotic surgery for Upper tract Urothelial cancer STudy (ROBUUST) is an ongoing international, multicenter registry of patients undergoing surgery for UTUC. After conducting a literature search in February 2025 using the MEDLINE (via PubMed) and Embase databases, we identified 14 studies based on the ROBUUST data analyses. There are several key topics concerning UTUC that remain under debate and were therefore addressed in these studies, focusing on preoperative evaluation and planning, surgical techniques and intraoperative procedures, additional perioperative treatments, and outcomes. The ROBUUST registry has served as a valuable source for a growing body of investigations focusing on various aspects of UTUC treatment planning, decision-making, and outcomes, providing innovative tools and enabling large-scale, novel analyses.