Introduction: Micropapillary bladder cancer (MPBC) is a variant histology of urothelial carcinoma (UC) that is associated with poor outcomes however given its rarity, little is known outside of institutional reports. We sought to use a population-level cancer database to assess survival outcomes in patients treated with surgery, radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy.Materials and Methods: The National Cancer Database (NCDB) was queried for all cases of MPBC and UC using International Classification of Disease-O-3 morphologic codes between 2004–2014. Primary outcome was survival outcomes stratified by treatment modality. Treatments included radical cystectomy (RC) with or without neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) or adjuvant chemotherapy (AC).Results: Overall 869 patients with MPBC and 389,603 patients with UC met the inclusion criteria. Median age of the MPBC cohort was 69.9 years (58.9–80.9) with the majority of the cohort presenting with high-grade (89.3%) and muscle invasive or locally advanced disease (47.6%). For cT1 MPBC, outcomes of RC and BPS were not statistically different. For≥cT2 disease, NAC showed a survival benefit compared with RC alone for UC but not for MPBC. On multivariable analysis, MPBC histology independently predicted worse increased risk of death. On subanalysis of the MPBC RC patients, NAC did not improve survival outcomes compared with RC alone.Conclusions: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy utilization and early cystectomy did not show a survival benefit in patients with MPBC. This histology independently predicts decreased survival and prognosis is poor regardless of treatment modality. Further research should focus on developing better treatment options for this rare disease.
Sarcomatoid bladder cancer has poor prognosis with 18.4-month median overall survival. While our data suggest that aggressive treatment improves outcomes, the role of multimodal therapy is unclear. Future study should continue to focus on multi-institutional collaboration to determine the most effective therapy.
Patients treated by higher volume implanters are less likely to require reoperation after inflatable penile prosthesis insertion than those treated by lower volume surgeons. This trend appears to be driven by associations between surgeon volume and the risk of prosthesis infection.
Objectives:To compare the outcomes of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) versus observation in patients with non-organ confined disease after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical cystectomy (RC).Materials and methods:Using the National Cancer Database, we identified patients who received NAC prior to RC and had advanced stage (pT3/4) or pathologically involved nodes (pN+) at the time of surgery from 2004–2013. We determined whether patients then received AC or were managed with observation only and used multivariable proportional hazards regression to estimate the impact of AC on overall survival.Results:Overall 34% (N = 705) of patients who received NAC and underwent RC were pT3/4 and/or pN+. Of these patients, 24% (N = 168) received subsequent chemotherapy and the rest were observed. Median survival for the entire cohort was 21 months (IQR 12–45). There was not a statistically significant difference in median survival between the AC and observation groups (23 months [IQR 14–46] versus 20 months [IQR 12–46], log-rank p = 0.52). On multivariate analysis there was no survival advantage for the AC cohort. Subgroup analysis of pN+ patients who received AC also did not show a survival advantage.Conclusions:Patients who are pT3/4 and/or pN+ after NAC and RC have a poor prognosis. The addition of AC does not seem to be beneficial. Further research should focus identifying patients who may benefit from additional chemotherapy.
In the US VVF remains a rare entity. Over half of VVFs were repaired vaginally. The occurrence of serious complications is low. A vaginal approach appears to be associated with fewer complications.
Introduction: Nephrolithiasis is a known risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD); however, it is unknown how CKD affects urinary parameters related to stone risk. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of diminishing glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and kidney stone-related 24-hour urine (24H urine) composition. Materials and Methods: A single-institution retrospective review of patients (n = 2057) who underwent 24H urine analysis was performed. The serum creatinine within 1 year of the first 24H urine was used to determine estimated GFR and stratify patients by CKD stage. We performed analysis of variance and multivariable linear regression to assess the relationship of GFR and urinary analytes. Results: Among all patients, there were 184 (8.9%), 1537 (74.7%), 245 (11.9%), 70 (3.4%), 17 (0.8%), and 4 (0.2%) in CKD stage I, II, IIIa, IIIb, IV, and V groups, respectively. On analysis of 24H urine composition, as CKD increased, changes in urinary parameters protective against crystallization included decreased calcium and uric acid (UA) (P < 0.001). In addition, parameters favoring crystallization included decreased citrate and magnesium (P = 0.002 and P < 0.001, respectively). The net effect with increasing GFR was decreasing supersaturation of calcium oxalate and phosphate. On linear regression, urinary excretion of calcium, oxalate, citrate, UA, phosphate, and ammonia all decreased with decreasing GFR (all P < 0.05). Conclusions: Higher CKD stage was associated with changes in urinary analytes that both promoted and inhibited stone formation, with the net effect of decreasing calcium oxalate and phosphate supersaturation. These patients may benefit from medical therapy that targets improving urinary citrate instead of lowering calcium or UA.
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