Which comorbidity classification is best suited to identify patients at risk for 90-day and long-term non-bladder cancer mortality after radical cystectomy?

The impact of cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) in a large contemporary cohort of patients undergoing robot-assisted radical cystectomy and intracorporeal urinary diversion (RARC-ICUD)

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate whether pre-operative comorbidity status measured by the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) or cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is associated with postoperative complications and length of stay (LOS) in patients undergoing robot-assisted radical cystectomy and intracorporeal urinary diversion (RARC-ICUD).

Patients and methods

We conducted a retrospective study of a prospectively maintained database of 428 consecutive patients who underwent RARC-ICUD at a tertiary referral centre between 2011 and 2019. CCI was correlated with peri-operative outcomes including postoperative LOS, Clavien-Dindo (CD) complications and survival. A planned subgroup analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between pre-operative CPET, and the same outcomes utilising the threshold of anaerobic threshold (AT) ≥ 11/ <11 ml/kg/min were analysed.

Results

Of the total cohort, 350 patients undergoing RARC-ICUD with complete data were included in the final analysis. A CCI score ≥5 was associated with a higher rate of CD III-V complications at 30-day incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 3.033, (p = 0.02) and at 90-day IRR 2.495, (p = 0.04) postsurgery. LOS was not associated with CCI; the strongest association with LOS was a CD complication of any grading. CCI did not predict readmission or mortality rates after surgery. Subanalyses of patients who underwent pre-operative CPET found that CPET <11 ml/kg/min did not predict for LOS, CD complications or death within 1 year of surgery.

Conclusions

CCI score is a simple, reliable and cost-effective way of identifying patients at increased risk of complication after RARC-ICUD. Surgeons performing radical cystectomy should consider utilising CCI to augment pre-operative patient counselling prior to RARC-ICUD.

Frailty assessment and postoperative complications in urologic oncology operations

Major urologic oncology procedures such as radical cystectomy (RC), radical prostatectomy (RP), radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) and radical or partial nephrectomy are the gold standard operations for the treatment of urological malignancies not suitable to be dealt with using minimal invasive procedures such as transurethral resection or other conservative approaches. However, these surgical procedures carry significant risk of complications, especially in elderly and frail patients. The purpose of this review is to highlight the use of a wide variety of preoperative frailty and health status indexes and calculators. Recent data from large population based studies confirm that these calculators can assist physicians and urologists to predict the postoperative morbidity of patients undergoing major operations. Moreover, these frailty calculators can help urologists choose the most suitable and safe treatment for every individual patient. However, the absence of widely accepted specific urologic oncology calculators to predict the association between frailty and postoperative complications emphasizes the necessity for the use of a combination of calculators.

Factors predicting early mortality after radical cystectomy for urothelial carcinoma in a contemporary cohort of patients

INTRODUCTION

We aimed to identify preoperatively available patient variables associated with increased mortality within 30 and 90 days of radical cystectomy (RC) for localized urothelial carcinoma (UC), and to evaluate temporal trends in early mortality rates.

METHODS

We reviewed the National Cancer Database to identify patients who underwent RC for UC between 2006 and 2013. Preoperatively available patient-specific demographics and mortality rates at 30 and 90 days postoperatively were analyzed. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine factors associated with 30- and 90-day mortality.

RESULTS

We identified 37 366 patients who underwent RC between 2006 and 2013. Overall mortality rates remained stable over time. From 2006-2013, 936 patients (2.5%) and 2554 patients (6.8%) died of any cause within 30 and 90 days post-RC, respectively. On multivariable analysis, increased age, higher clinical T and N stage, increased Charlson-Deyo comorbidity classification, African-American race, lower hospital volume, non-academic centers, lower patient income, and absence of insurance were each significantly associated with increased early mortality after RC (p<0.05). The protective effect of higher hospital volume was similar regardless of patient's age, clinical stage, or comorbidity status.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study identified patient-specific variables that are significantly associated with increased early mortality after RC. These findings can be used in counselling to identify ideal candidates for RC to decrease patient harm. Furthermore, early mortality rates after RC have remained stable over time, indicating that ongoing quality improvement is essential to improve outcomes.