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Background: The increased awareness regarding the sex gap in bladder cancer (BCa) care over the last decade may have resulted in more timely-wise referral patterns and treatment of female patients with BCa. Thus, we tested the association of sex with disease stage at presentation, as well as with cancer-specific mortality (CSM) after radical cystectomy (RC) in a contemporary cohort of patients with nonmetastatic urothelial bladder cancer (UCUB)., Methods: Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (2004-2016), we identified 14,086 patients (10,879 men and 3,207 women) treated with RC for non-metastatic UCUB. Temporal trend, interaction analyses, logistic regression, cumulative incidence, and competing-risks regression analyses were used., Results: Overall, 10,879 (77.2%) men and 3,207 (22.8%) women underwent RC between 2004 and 2016. Female gender was an independent predictor of non-organ-confined (NOC) UCUB at RC in multivariable analyses (odds ratio: 1.23; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.10-1.38; P < 0.001). While NOC rates in men decreased over time (from 54.8% to 45.7%; P < 0.01), NOC rates in women remained stationary (from 60.6% to 57.3%; P = 0.15) and the excess NOC rate between men and women increased from + 5.8% in 2004 to +11.6% in 2016. Moreover, in multivariable analyses adjusted for other covariates, female gender was an independent predictor of higher CSM after RC in NOC UCUB (HR: 1.14; 95%CI 1.04-1.24; P < 0.01), but not in localized UCUB (P = 0.06)., Conclusion: It is worrisome that, while in men the rate of NOC is decreasing, NOC rates in females have not improved over time. Moreover, it is also worrisome that, despite adjustment for both pathological tumor and patient characteristics, female sex remains an adverse prognostic factor for CSM. Reassessment of referral, diagnostic, and treatment patterns aimed at eliminating these sex discrepancies appears warranted., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The Albumin-Globulin Ratio (AGR; albumin/total protein - albumin) has been associated with oncological outcome in various malignancies. However, its role in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) has not been clearly established. In this study, we assessed the association of preoperative AGR (pAGR) with survival in patients who underwent radical cystectomy (RC) for UCB., Material and Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of an established multicenter database of 4.335 patients who were treated with RC for UCB. The cohort was divided into 2 groups according to the pAGR status. Binominal logistic regression as well as uni- and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used. The predictive value of the models was assessed by calculating receiver operating characteristics curves and concordance-indices (C-Index). The additional clinical value was assessed using the decision curve analysis (DCA)., Results: Overall, 1.670 patients (38.5%) had a low pAGR. On multivariable logistic regression analyses, low pAGR was associated with an increased risk of ≥pT3 disease at RC (odds ratio [OR] 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.31, P= 0.04). On multivariable Cox regression analyses, low pAGR remained associated with worse recurrence-free survival (RFS, HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.1-1.37, P< 0.001), cancer-specific survival (CSS, HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.1-1.38, P< 0.001) and overall survival (OS, HR 1.17, 95% CI 1.07-1.28, P< 0.001). The addition of pAGR to multiple prognostic models that were respectively fitted for clinical and postoperative variables did not improve the predictive accuracy., Conclusion: pAGR status is an independent predictor of ≥pT3 disease, therefore it could help identify patients who have a higher likelihood to benefit from neoadjuvant systemic therapy. While pAGR was independently associated with RFS, CSS, and OS, it did not improve the predictive accuracy and clinical value beyond obtained by information already available. The predictive value of this biomarker in the age of immunotherapy needs further evaluation., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest All authors have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To test the effect of perioperative chemotherapy (CHT) on overall mortality (OM) and cancer-specific mortality (CSM) in patients with locally advanced or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder (SCC UB)., Methods: Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database (1988-2016), we identified 1,018 SCC UB patients (664 T 3-4a N 0 M 0 , 197 TanyN 1-3 M 0 and 156 T 4b N 0-3 or M 1 ), who underwent radical cystectomy with or without perioperative chemotherapy administration. Inverse probability of treatment-weighting (IPTW), Kaplan-Meier plots and Cox-regression models (CRMs) were used., Results: CHT was administrated in 116 (17.5%) T 3-4a N 0 M 0 , 77 (39.1%) TanyN 1-3 M 0 and 47 (30.1%) T 4b N 0-3 or M 1 patients. IPTW-adjusted 2-year cancer-specific survival (CSS) was 66.5 vs. 71.5% (p = 0.19), 60.9 vs. 29.5% (p < 0.001) and IPTW-adjusted 1-year CSS was 46.2 vs. 31.1% (p = 0.03) for CHT vs. no CHT administration in T 3-4a N 0 M 0 , TanyN 1-3 M 0 and T 4b N 0-3 or M 1 , respectively. In multivariable IPTW-adjusted CRMs, chemotherapy was an independent predictor of lower CSM in TanyN 1-3 M 0 (HR 0.44) and in T 4b N 0-3 or M 1 (HR 0.60), but not in T 3-4a N 0 M 0 (p = 0.6) patients. Virtually the same results were obtained on OM, as well as without IPTW-adjustment and after stratification according to age and gender., Conclusions: The use of perioperative CHT in patients with SCC UB confers survival benefit in the presence of T4b disease, lymph node or distant metastases. Conversely, patients with locally advanced disease but negative lymph node invasion do not benefit from its use. Pending higher quality data from prospective trials, these data should encourage the use of perioperative CHT in those high-risk patient groups.

Background: Radical cystectomy (RC) is often performed for T1 variant histology bladder cancer (VHBC), based on weak clinical evidence. We tested for cancer specific survival (CSS) differences after RC between T1 VHBC vs. urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder (UBC)., Methods: Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results registry (SEER, 2001-2016), we retrospectively identified T1N0M0 VHBC (adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma [SqCC], neuroendocrine carcinoma and other VHBC) and UBC patients. Kaplan-Meier plots, multivariate Cox regression models (CRM) with inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) and competing risks regression (CRR) tested CSS rates after RC in stage T1 vs. no-RC according to VHBC type and UBC., Results: Of all 37,528 T1N0M0 bladder cancer patients, 1726 (4.6%) harboured VHBC. Of those, 598 (1.6%) had SqCC, 409 (1.1%) adenocarcinoma, 249 (0.7%) neuroendocrine carcinoma and 470 (1.3%) other VHBC. RC was performed in 7.4-11.0% of VHBC vs. 5.1% of high grade UBC patients. In patients with neuroendocrine and SqCC, RC was associated with higher CSS rates than any other surgical treatment modality (both p ≤ 0.01). Sixty-month CSS was 100% vs. 67% in neuroendocrine and 86% vs. 66% in SqCC in unadjusted analyses and remained statistically significantly higher in multivariate, IPTW adjusted analyses and in multivariate CRR. No difference was recorded for adenocarcinoma or other VHBC types., Conclusions: RC for stage T1N0M0 VHBC appears to provide a protective effect with respect to CSS in patients with SqCC and neuroendocrine carcinoma, but not in adenocarcinoma or other VHBC., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None declared., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Radical cystectomy (RC) is the gold standard treatment for patients with muscle-invasive or refractory non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. It is estimated that approximately 64% and 13% of RC patients experience any complication and major complications, respectively. Specialized immunonutrition (SIM) aims to reduce the rates of complications after RC. We reported surgical complication rates in RC patients who received (SIM group) versus who did not receive (no-SIM group) perioperative SIM. Moreover, we investigated factors associated with complications after RC., Material and Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 52 patients who underwent RC between April 2016 and December 2017. Overall, 26 (50%) patients received perioperative SIM. We recorded age, gender, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), body mass index (BMI), Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) score, unintentional weight loss (UWL), SIM drinks consume, surgical approach, urinary diversion, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), use of total parenteral nutrition (TPN), final pathology, length of stay (LOS), and complications., Results: SIM was associated with higher rates of documented infections ( P  = .03). Conversely, post-operative ileus was associated with higher rates of overall infections ( P  = .03). Median LOS was comparable within the 2 groups. Overall, 4 (15.38%) versus 0 (0%) patients in SIM versus no-SIM group were readmitted to hospital ( P  = .03). Age, CCI, NAC, and TPN were not associated with complication rates., Conclusions: SIM is not associated with lower rates of post-operative complications in RC candidates. Moreover, higher rates of documented infections were observed in the SIM group. Patients with post-operative ileus experienced more infections. Age, CCI, NAC, and TPN were not predictive of complications.

Background: The objective of this study was to test the effect of chemotherapy and/or radical cystectomy (RC) and/or radiotherapy (RT) on survival of patients with non-metastatic small-cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder (SCCUB)., Materials and Methods: Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry (2001-2016), we identified patients with non-metastatic (T1-4, N0, M0) SCCUB. Treatment was defined as: chemotherapy alone, chemotherapy + RC, and chemotherapy + RT. Temporal trends, cumulative incidence plots, and multivariable competing risks regression models were used., Results: Of 595 patients with SCCUB, 230 (38.5%), 159 (27%), and 206 (34.5%) were treated with chemotherapy alone, chemotherapy + RC, and chemotherapy + RT, respectively. The rates of chemotherapy + RC increased (estimated annual percentage changes [EAPC], +5.9%; P = .002). Conversely, chemotherapy alone (EAPC, -1.7%; P = .1) and chemotherapy + RT rates decreased (EAPC: -2.2%; P = .08). Overall, 5-year cancer-specific mortality (CSM) rates were 44%, 29%, and 40% for patients treated with chemotherapy alone, chemotherapy + RC, and chemotherapy + RT, respectively (P = .004). Relative to chemotherapy alone, patients treated with chemotherapy + RC experienced lower CSM (hazard ratio, 0.5; P < .001). Conversely, patients treated with chemotherapy + RT did not exhibit any CSM benefit (hazard ratio, 0.8; P = .2), when compared with chemotherapy alone., Conclusion: In contemporary patients with SCCUB with non-metastatic disease, the rates of chemotherapy + RC are increasing. Conversely, the rates of combined chemotherapy with RT and chemotherapy alone are decreasing. These patterns of treatment are in agreement with better cancer control in patients with SCCUB. In consequence, until more robust data become available, the combination of chemotherapy and RC should represent the recommended treatment strategy., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: We tested whether frail patients may benefit from robot-assisted (RARC) relative to open radical cystectomy (ORC)., Materials and Methods: Frail patients treated with RC were identified within the National Inpatient Sample database (2008-2015). The effect of RARC vs. ORC was tested in five separate multivariable models predicting: complications, failure to rescue (FTR), in-hospital mortality, length of stay (LOS) and total hospital charges (THCs). As internal validity measure, analyses were repeated among non-frail patients. All models were weighted and adjusted for clustering, as well as all available patient and hospital characteristics., Results: Of 11,578 RC patients, 3477 (30.0%) were frail. RARC was performed in 488 (14.0%) frail patients and 1386 (17.1%) non-frail patients. Among frail, RARC was only independently associated with shorter LOS (median 8 vs. 9 days, relative ratio [RR] 0.79, p < 0.001). Conversely, among non-frail, RARC was independently associated with lower complications (57.3 vs. 59.1%, odds ratio [OR] 0.82, p = 0.004) and shorter LOS (median 6 vs. 7 days, RR 0.88, p < 0.001), but also predicted higher THCs (+2850.3 US dollars, p = 0.001)., Conclusions: In frail patients, the use of RARC did not result in better short-term outcomes except for one-day advantage in LOS. Conversely, in non-frail patients, the use of RARC resulted in lower complication rates and shorter LOS at the cost of higher THCs. In consequence, the benefit of RARC appears relatively marginal in frail patients and our data do not suggest a clear and clinically-meaningful benefit of RARC over ORC in frail radical cystectomy population., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest None., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.)

Background: The present study tested cancer-specific (CSM) and overall mortality (OM) after partial cystectomy (PC) for variant histology bladder cancer (non-urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder UCUB), relative to UCUB and relative to radical cystectomy (RC)., Materials and Methods: Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry (2001-2016), we identified patients with stage T1-T2N0M0 non-UCUB and UCUB who had undergone PC or RC. Non-UCUB included adenocarcinoma, squamous carcinoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma, and other histologic subtypes. First, CSM and OM after PC were compared between the non-UCUB and UCUB groups. Second, CSM and OM after PC were compared with RC in the non-UCUB group. Kaplan Meier plots and multivariable Cox regression models were used before and after inverse probability of treatment weighting., Results: Overall, 248 patients (16.3%) treated with PC had had non-UCUB. Of the 248 cases, 115 (46.5%), 50 (20%), 34 (14%), and 49 (19.5%) were adenocarcinoma, squamous carcinoma, neuroendocrine carcinoma, and other histologic subtypes, respectively. The comparison between PC in the non-UCUB and PC in the UCUB group showed higher CSM (hazard ratio, 1.4; P = .03) but the same OM rates (hazard ratio, 1.1; P = .7) in the non-UCUB group. The comparison between PC and RC for the non-UCUB group showed no CSM or OM differences., Conclusions: PC for non-UCUB was associated with higher CSM compared with PC for UCUB. However, PC instead of RC for select patients with non-UCUB appears not to undermine cancer-control outcomes. Thus, the excess CSM is probably unrelated to cystectomy type but could originate from differences in the tumor biology. These results could act as hypothesis generating for the design of future trials., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: We investigated the effect of partial cystectomy (PC) on cancer-specific mortality (CSM) and other-cause mortality (OCM) and the effect of pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) during PC on CSM., Materials and Methods: Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (2004-2015), 11,429 cases of nonmetastatic stage pT2-T3 urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder treated with either PC or radical cystectomy (RC) were identified. All comparisons between PC and RC relied on propensity score (PS; ratio, 1:1) adjusted univariable and multivariable logistic and competing risks regression models. In contrast, all comparisons between PLND and no PLND at PC relied on inverse probability of treatment weighting-adjusted univariable and multivariable Cox regression models., Results: Within the SEER database, PC had been performed in 979 patients (8.6%). The PC annual rates decreased from 11.0% to 6.8% during the study period (P < .001). In PS-adjusted multivariable analyses focusing on CSM and OCM, no statistically significant difference between the PC and RC groups (P = .2 and P = .3, respectively). The annual PLND rates with PC (50.3%) did not vary over time (P = .3). In the overall cohort and the PC subgroup, PLND was associated with a lower CSM rate (hazard ratio, 0.56; P < .001; and hazard ratio, 0.57; P < .001, respectively)., Conclusions: A small proportion of patients with stage pT2-T3 urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder were candidates for PC. In the PS-adjusted multivariable analyses, no statistically significant differences were found in CSM or OCM between the PC and RC groups. Within the PC group, PLND had been omitted 50% of the time despite its association with lower CSM., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Relatively few studies investigated the importance of frailty in radical cystectomy (RC) patients. We tested the ability of frailty, using the Johns Hopkins Adjusted Clinical Groups indicator, to predict early perioperative outcomes after RC., Methods: RC patients were identified within the National Inpatient Sample database (2000-2015). The effect of frailty, age and Charlson Comorbidity Index were tested in five separate multivariable models predicting: (1) complications, (2) failure to rescue (FTR), (3) in-hospital mortality, (4) length of stay (LOS) and (5) total hospital charges (THCs). All models were weighted and adjusted for clustering, as well as all available patient and hospital characteristics., Results: Of 23,967 RC patients, 5833 (24.3%) were frail, 7721 (32.2%) were aged ≥75 years and 2832 (11.8%) had CCI ≥2. Frailty, age ≥75 years and CCI ≥2 were non-overlapping in 86.3% of the cohort. Any two or three of these features were recorded in 12.4 and 1.3%, respectively. Frailty was an independent predictor of all five examined endpoints and the magnitude of its association was stronger or at least equal than that of age ≥75 years and CCI ≥2., Conclusion: Frailty, advanced age and comorbidities represent non-overlapping patients' characteristics. Of those, frailty represents the most consistent and strongest predictor of early adverse outcomes after RC. Ideally, all three indicators should be considered in retrospective, as well as prospective analyses. Pre-surgical recognition of frail patients should be ideally incorporate in clinical practice in order to address these patients to multimodal pre-habilitation programs that may potentially improve the perioperative prognosis., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest All the authors declare no potential conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Unmarried status is an established risk factor for worse cancer control outcomes and survival in various malignancies. We tested the effect of marital status on the rate of nonorgan confined disease as well as on cancer-specific mortality (CSM) in patients who underwent radical cystectomy for nonmetastatic urothelial bladder cancer (UCUB)., Methods: Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database (2007-2015), we identified 11,167 patients (8,639 men and 2,528 women) who underwent radical cystectomy for nonmetastatic UCUB. Temporal trend analyses, logistic regression models, cumulative incidence plots, competing-risks regression models and landmark analyses were used., Results: Overall, 2,454 men (28.4%) and 1,363 women (53.9%) were unmarried. Unmarried men had a higher rate of nonorgan-confined disease at radical cystectomy (OR: 1.24, CI 1.10-1.33; P < 0.001). Moreover, in men, unmarried status was an independent predictor of higher CSM (HR: 1.24, CI 1.12-1.37) In women, unmarried status neither predicted nonorgan-confined disease at radical cystectomy (OR: 1.07, CI 0.91-1.26; P = 0.37) nor was it associated with CSM (HR: 1.13, CI 0.88-1.31; P = 0.14). In 6-month landmark analyses, unmarried status remained an independent predictor of higher CSM in men (HR: 1.20, CI 1.08-1.33)., Conclusions: Unmarried men have more advanced tumor stage at radical cystectomy and worse CSM compared to married men. Interestingly, marital status did not affect oncologic outcomes in women. These data suggest a gender-specific effect of marital status in UCUB., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: To test the effect of radical cystectomy (RC) with chemotherapy vs only chemotherapy on overall mortality (OM) in metastatic urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder (mUCUB)., Methods: Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry (2004-2016), we identified patients with mUCUB. Stratification was made according to treatment: RC with chemotherapy vs only chemotherapy. Kaplan-Meier plots and multivariable Cox regression models were used before and after 1:1 propensity score (PS) matching and inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW)., Results: Of 2414 patients with mUCUB, 500 (21.0%) vs 1914 (79.0%) were treated with RC with chemotherapy vs only chemotherapy, respectively. In multivariable Cox regression models, RC with chemotherapy was associated with lower OM in the overall cohort (hazard ratio [HR], 0.5; P < .001), after 1:1 PS matching (HR, 0.5; P < .001), after IPTW (HR, 0.5; P < .001) and after accounting for number and location of metastases (HR, 0.5; P < .001). However, higher overall survival after RC with chemotherapy was only observed in patients with one metastatic site (21 vs 16 months; P = .001)., Conclusion: In contemporary patients with mUCUB, RC with chemotherapy is associated with lower OM rates, relative to chemotherapy alone, but only in patients with a single metastatic site. These individuals accounted for the vast majority of patients in whom an RC was performed, despite the presence of metastatic disease., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Introduction: Patients with clinical T4 (cT4) bladder cancer (BCa) infrequently undergo radical cystectomy (RC). We investigated the reliability of preoperative clinical staging, perioperative and survival outcomes in patients treated with RC due to cT4a-b BCa disease at a single tertiary care institution., Methods: The study relied on 917 BCa patients treated with RC and pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) at a single institution between January 1995 and December 2012. We compared the accuracy of the clinical assessment with final pathology results. Moreover, we evaluated perioperative outcomes, complication rates and survival after surgery., Results: The median follow-up was 62 months. Overall, 74 (8.1%) patients presented cT4 stage at preoperative evaluation. Conversely, a pathological T4 disease was confirmed only in 68.9% patients staged initially as cT4. No differences were recorded in complications, 30 days readmission or 30 days death rates between cT1-T3 vs. cT4a vs. cT4b (p > 0.1). At multivariable Cox regression analyses predicting cancer specific mortality, clinical T4 stage vs. clinical T1-2, clinical T3 stage vs. clinical T1-2 and age were predictors of worst survival after RC (all p < 0.04)., Conclusions: We recorded poor concordance between preoperative imaging and pathology in cT4 patients. No differences in major perioperative outcomes and acceptable survival expectancies were reported in patients treated for cT4 disease., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd, BASO ~ The Association for Cancer Surgery, and the European Society of Surgical Oncology. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: We evaluated the effect of the year of surgery on the clinical, pathologic, and oncologic outcomes of patients with bladder cancer (BCa) treated with radical cystectomy (RC) at a single institution., Materials and Methods: The present study included 1253 consecutive patients with BCa treated with RC and extended pelvic lymphadenectomy at a single institution from January 1990 to December 2014. Analysis of variance and χ 2 trend tests were used to report the clinical and pathologic characteristics of the cohort over time. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to test the relationship between the year of surgery and recurrence, cancer-specific mortality (CSM) and overall mortality (OM)., Results: Considering the clinical characteristics, patient age (P = .1) and gender (P = .2) remained steady during the study period. In contrast, the body mass index (P < .005) increased. Also, of the pathologic features, carcinoma in situ detection (P < .001) showed an increasing rate, and pathologic stage T3-T4 (P = .005) showed a decreasing trend. The number of lymph nodes removed increased during the study period (P < .001), resulting in an increased number of positive nodes (P < .001). However, the rate of lymph node invasion (P = .1) remained stable in the overall population. Multivariable Cox regression analyses revealed the year of surgery as a predictor of recurrence (hazard ratio [HR], 0.97), CSM (HR, 0.97), and OM (HR, 0.98), with a slight, but constant, reduction in all survival outcomes (P < .04 for all)., Conclusion: Changes were recorded considering the patient and tumor characteristics across the previous 25 years. These variations directly reflect the differences in long-term survival expectations we recorded., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To investigate the staging of lymphadenectomy during radical cystectomy (RC) due to bladder cancer. No data exist about the possibility to limit the extension of pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) on the basis of preoperative or intraoperative parameters without losing accuracy in the staging procedure., Materials and Methods: Between 1995 and 2012, 1016 RC due to bladder cancer were performed at a single tertiary care institution. The relationship between the number of nodes removed and the probability to find node metastases at final pathology examination was assessed using receiver operating characteristic analyses., Results: Among the patients who underwent RC plus PLND, the lymph node metastases prevalence was 35.7% (363 of 1016). Receiver operating characteristic curve analyses were used to explore graphically the relationship between the numbers of removed and examined nodes and the probability of finding one or more metastatic nodes in the overall population. The curve indicated that 25, 35, and 45 nodes need to be removed to achieve 75%, 90%, and 95% probability, respectively, of detecting one or more lymph node metastases. When the analyses were stratified according to preoperative characteristics, only slight differences were recorded among the sensitivity analyses stratified for pathological stage, primary or progressive status, or radiological N status., Conclusion: Our results show that it is necessary to extend PLND to improve the ability to stage node metastases accurately. Preoperative parameters can minimally change this indication and an extended PLND should be always performed., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Despite several studies, the adequate management of positive distal ureter margins at the time of radical cystectomy (RC) remains controversial. Particularly, it is not clear whether the achievement of negative distal ureter margins at the intraoperative frozen sections (IFS) affects postoperative cancer-specific mortality (CSM)., Methods: In all, 1,447 consecutive patients treated with RC at a single center between January 1987 and August 2014 were considered. Multivariable (MVA) logistic regression analyses were used to determine predictors of positive IFS. MVA Cox regression analyses were used to test the effect on CSM of intraoperative conversion to negative margins., Results: At IFS, 368 patients (25%) experienced at least 1 positive margin. Of these, a negative conversion of the margin at IFS occurred in 178 (48%) whereas 190 (52%) had a positive final ureteral margin. The mean follow-up was 95 months (median = 102). At MVA, history of carcinoma in situ (odds ratio = 6.40, P<0.001) was predictors of positive margin at IFS. At MVA, ureteral margins that were not converted to negative (hazard ratio = 1.92, P = 0.01) were associated with CSM but only in patients with negative soft tissue margin and without node metastases., Conclusions: Achieving negative IFS margins may be associated with survival benefit in patients without residual bladder cancer after RC. Patients who recorded a history of carcinoma in situ before RC are at higher risk to incur positive ureteral margin at IFS and should be investigated during RC., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)