Objective-To determine the impact of comorbidity on survival of bladder cancer patients.Methods-The population included 675 patients with newly diagnosed bladder cancer whose medical information was abstracted from a hospital cancer registry. Adult Comorbidity Evaluation-27, a validated instrument, was used to prospectively categorize comorbidity. Independent variables assessed include comorbidity, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, grade, age, gender, and race. Outcome measure was overall survival. We analyzed the entire cohort, patients with noninvasive disease, and patients requiring cystectomy. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to assess impact of independent variables on survival.Results-Median age at diagnosis for the entire cohort was 71 yr and median follow-up was 45 mo. Of 675 patients, 446 had at least one comorbid condition and 301 died during follow-up. On multivariable analysis for the entire cohort, comorbidity (p = 0.0001), AJCC stage (p = 0.0001), age (p = 0.0001), and race (p = 0.0045) significantly predicted overall survival. On subset analysis of noninvasive bladder cancer patients, comorbidity (p = 0.0001) and age (p = 0.0001) independently predicted overall survival, whereas stage, grade, race, and gender did not. On subset analysis of cystectomy patients, comorbidity (p = 0.0053), stage (p = 0.0001), and race (p = 0.0449) significantly predicted overall survival.Conclusions-Comorbidity is an independent predictor of overall survival in the entire cohort of bladder cancer patients, the subset with noninvasive disease, and the subset treated with cystectomy.

Objectives-While the classification of cancer has traditionally focused on gross and microscopic characteristics of the tumor, overall health of a patient can impact survival. Since patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) often have other medical conditions, we explored the impact of preexisting medical disease on survival following radical and partial nephrectomy. Results-The median follow-up was 32.2 months for survivors and 36.5 months for all patients. OS rate at 1, 3, and 5 years was 92.0% (641 patients), 75.3% (525 patients) and 52.7% (367 patients). Univariate analyses demonstrated that age, comorbidity, tumor size, Fuhrman grade, and pathologic stage were significant predictors of OS. Multivariate analysis revealed that age (HR 1.42, 95% CI 1.10-1.82, p=0.0067), comorbidity (HR 1.37, 95% CI 1.16-1.63, p=0.0002), pathologic stage (HR 1.97, 95% CI 1.60-2.41, p<0.0001) and grade (HR 1.83, 95% CI 1.28-2.59, p=0.0008) predicted OS. Methods-BetweenConclusions-This study demonstrates that comorbidity is an independent prognostic factor for OS in RCC patients. Capturing comorbidity information using validated instruments can improve the preoperative evaluation of patients by providing more accurate prognostic information.

OBJECTIVE To explore the ability of a novel transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) device (TargetScanTM, Envisioneering Medical Technologies, St. Louis MO) that creates a three‐dimensional map of the prostate and calculates an optimal biopsy scheme, to accurately sample the prostate and define the true extent of disease, as standard TRUS‐guided prostate biopsy relies on the operator to distribute the biopsy sites, often resulting in under‐ and oversampling regions of the gland. PATIENTS AND METHODS In a multicentre retrospective chart review evaluating patients who had a TargetScan prostate biopsy between January 2006 and June 2007, we determined the overall cancer detection rate in all patients and in subgroups based on prostate specific antigen level, digital rectal examination, and indication for biopsy. We assessed the pathological significance of cancer detected, defined as a Gleason score of ≥7, positive margins, extracapsular disease or >20% tumour volume in the prostatectomy specimen. We also evaluated the concordance in Gleason score between the biopsy and prostatectomy specimen. RESULTS Cancer was detected in 50 (35.7%) of the 140 patients biopsied, including 39 (47.6%) with no previous biopsies. Of 23 prostatectomy specimens, 20 (87%) had pathologically significant disease. The biopsy predicted the prostatectomy Gleason score in 12 patients (52%), overestimated in two (9%), underestimated in eight (35%), and biopsy Gleason score could not be assigned in one (4%). CONCLUSIONS Template‐guided biopsy potentially produces a higher cancer detection rate and more accurate assessment of grade. Prostatectomy specimens did not have a high rate of pathologically insignificant disease.

No abstract

No abstract