Evidence mapPaperPMID 41800041Full record

SynthesisFrontiers in oncology2026

The role of MRI in detection and staging of upper urinary tract cancer: a systematic review of the literature.

Cécile Manceau, Lucas Bento, Serge Brunelle, Thomas Prudhomme, Anne Sophie Bajeot, Xavier Game, Michel Soulie, Marie Charlotte Delchier, Fatima-Zohra Mokrane, Mathieu Roumiguié

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Frontiers in oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Cécile ManceauDepartment of Urology and Kidney Transplantation, Montpellier University Hospital, Lapeyronie Hospital, Montpellier, France.
Lucas BentoDepartment of Urology, Kidney Transplantation and Andrology, TSA 50032 Rangueil Hospital, Toulouse, France.
Serge BrunelleDepartment of Radiology, Institut Paoli-Calmettes Cancer Centre, Marseille, France.
Thomas PrudhommeDepartment of Urology, Kidney Transplantation and Andrology, TSA 50032 Rangueil Hospital, Toulouse, France.
Anne Sophie BajeotDepartment of Urology, Kidney Transplantation and Andrology, TSA 50032 Rangueil Hospital, Toulouse, France.
Xavier GameDepartment of Urology, Kidney Transplantation and Andrology, TSA 50032 Rangueil Hospital, Toulouse, France.
Michel SoulieDepartment of Urology, Kidney Transplantation and Andrology, TSA 50032 Rangueil Hospital, Toulouse, France.
Marie Charlotte DelchierDepartment of Radiology, TSA 50032 Rangueil Hospital, Toulouse, France.
Fatima-Zohra MokraneDepartment of Radiology, TSA 50032 Rangueil Hospital, Toulouse, France.
Mathieu RoumiguiéDepartment of Urology, Clinique Pasteur, Toulouse, France.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Upper urinary tract tumors (UUTT) are imprecisely diagnosed. Recent data have shown the benefit of adding systemic treatments to advanced local stage tumors (≥T2). MRI has provided useful information for evaluating the local T stage of urinary bladder tumors, which may be used for UUTT. The objective of this study was to review the literature on the diagnostic and staging capabilities of MRI for UUTT. Additionally, the methods for performing MRI on the UUT were evaluated. Methods: This review was conducted according to the PRISMA using MEDLINE and EMBASE. All original articles published between January 2000 and February 2024 that investigated the diagnostic and staging performance of MRI in patients with suspected UUTT were included in this study. Results: Fifteen studies were included, comprising 999 patients, of whom 593 had UUTT. A wide heterogeneity in the sequences was observed. While standard acquisition (T1 weighted + T2 weighted) showed insufficient diagnostic performance, dynamic contrast imaging (DCE) and diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) presented strong diagnostic scores for pooled sensitivity (92.5% and 93.2%), specificity (76.7% and 84.2%), and accuracy of diagnosis (91.1% and 90.1%), respectively. DWI and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) seem to be informative for staging and prognostic evaluation. Discussion and conclusion: MRI has strong potential to enhance UUTT diagnosis and staging. Despite heterogeneous data and limited evidence, the findings of this study suggest that further large multicentric studies should be conducted to better evaluate the diagnostic performance of MRI in UUT, with a predefined standard acquisition compared to the pathology report of radical nephroureterectomy or long-term follow-up by medical imaging. We hope to establish an Upper Urinary Tract Imaging-Reporting and Data System (MRI UUTI-RADS) score for predicting muscle invasion and tumor stage. Patient summary: We performed a systematic evaluation and summary of all studies published on the diagnostic and staging capabilities of MRI for upper urinary tract tumors. This review showed a lack of evidence data but a strong potential for MRI. A predefined MRI protocol was proposed for future studies. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier CRD42022319265.

Indexed as

ADCDWIMRIupper urinary tract diagnosisupper urinary tract prognosisupper urinary tract stagingupper urinary tract tumoruro-MRI

Identifiers

PMID41800041
PMCPMC12960106

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.