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Objectives: To investigate neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) eligibility, utilization, and survival outcomes for muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) in a Finnish population., Materials and Methods: Data from the Finnish National Cystectomy Database (2005-2017) was combined with Finnish Cancer Registry survival data. NAC utilization rates were reported, and downstaging rates were calculated based on final pathological staging. Logistic regression analyzed NAC usage and complete response (CR) predictors., Results: Since 2011, 29% of 1157 patients received NAC. Its usage remained consistent, and the number of eligible patients not receiving NAC decreased during the study period. Among NAC patients, pathology T-category was pT0 (34%), pT1-Ta-Tis (16%), pT2 (23%), pT3 (20%), and pT4 (7%) tumors, with pN0 in 82%. In the RC + NAC group, the 5-year overall survival (OS) rates were 89% for patients with no residual disease (pT0N0), 82% for those with organ-confined residual disease (pT1, Tis, Ta, T2/N0), and 49% for patients with non-organ-confined residual disease (pT3+/N+). The corresponding cancer-specific survival (CSS) rates were 93%, 86%, and 57%, respectively. Patients with organ-confined residual disease after NAC had survival outcomes comparable to those who underwent RC alone. Higher age; odds ratio (OR) 0.93, [95% Confidence Interval (CI): 0.90-0.95] and Charlson Co-morbidity Index-score [OR 0.88 (0.79-0.98)] reduced the likelihood of receiving NAC, while a smaller center size increased the probability [OR 1.82 (1.02-3.28)]. More treatment cycles [OR 0.70, (95% CI: 0.51-0.93)] and a favorable GFR [OR 0.38 (0.16-0.88)] were associated with achieving CR., Conclusion: We report that NAC is well-utilized across Finland, with CR rates comparable to recent trials. Additionally, our survival rates are reasonable, and even with organ-confined residual disease after NAC, survival outcomes are similar to those who underwent RC alone.

Background: Population-based survival results after radical cystectomy (RC) are limited. Our objective was to report short and long-term survival results after RC for bladder cancer from Finland in a population-based setting., Materials and Methods: The Finnish National Cystectomy Database containing retrospectively collected essential RC data covering the years 2005-2017 was combined with the survival data from the Finnish Cancer Registry. Kaplan-Meier plots were used to estimate survival and the survival graphs were illustrated according to the final pathological staging. Centers were divided according to operational volume, and the results were then compared using Pearsons's Chi-squared test., Results: A total of 2047 patients were included in the study. 30-, and 90-day mortality was 1.3%, and 3.8%, respectively. The OS of the entire RC population at 5- and 10 years was 66% and 55%, and CSS was 74% and 72%, respectively. Center volume did not significantly associate with surgical mortality or long-term survival. The 5- and 10-year OS according to pT-category was 87% and 74% for pT0, 85% and 69% for pTa-pTis-pT1, 70% and 58% for pT2, 50% and 42% for pT3 and 41% and 30% for pT4. The corresponding 5- and 10-year CSS rates were 96% and 93% for pT0, 91% and 90% for pTa-pTis-pT1, 78% and 75% for pT2, 56% and 55% for pT3 and 47% and 44% for pT4. The 5- and 10-year OS rates in patients with no lymph node metastases (pN-) were 74% and 62%, and CSS 82% and 80%, respectively. If lymph nodes were positive (pN+), the corresponding OS rates were 44% and 34% and CSS 49% and 48%, respectively., Conclusion: RC survival results have improved in contemporary series and are associated with the pTNM-status. The nationwide results from Finland demonstrate outcome comparable to high volume single-center series.

Background: Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (mpMRI) has been proposed to add value in the diagnostic pathway of bladder cancer (BC). We wanted to evaluate the performance of mpMRI for muscle-invasion detection in BC patients using a subjective MRI visual T-category and the Vesical Imaging-Reporting and Data System (VI-RADS) score., Methods: This single centre clinical trial included 45 patients with suspected BC (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02662166). All patients had mpMRI prior to transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TUR-BT). The imaging was correlated to histopathological findings. Two individual radiologists evaluated all the mpMRI images. A binary cut-off point for the detection of muscle-invasion in the MRI visual T-category was defined between T1 and T2 and the VI-RADS cut-off score was 3. Cohen's Kappa values were used to evaluate the agreement between the two radiologists. Sensitivity, Specificity, Area Under Receiver Operator Characteristics Curve (AUC), Positive Predictive Value (PPV) and Negative Predictive Value (NPV) were calculated to evaluate the performance of both radiologists separately., Results: AUC values for reader A and B using the MRI visual T-category were 0.76 and 0.56, while the corresponding values for VI-RADS were 0.63 and 0.57, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the radiologists nor the reporting systems ( p  > .05) in the detection of muscle-invasion. The inter-reader agreement was substantial (0.61-0.80)., Conclusion: Both the subjective MRI visual T-category and VI-RADS score had only a low to moderate accuracy for the detection of muscle-invasion in BC with no statistically significant difference between the reporting systems.

Purpose: To create a pre-operatively usable tool to identify patients at high risk of early death (within 90 days post-operatively) after radical cystectomy and to assess potential risk factors for post-operative and surgery related mortality. Materials and methods: Material consists of 1099 consecutive radical cystectomy (RC) patients operated at 16 different hospitals in Finland 2005-2014. Machine learning methodology was utilized. For model building and testing, the data was randomly divided into training data ( n =  733, 66.7%) and independent testing data ( n =  366, 33.3%). To predict the risk of early death after RC from baseline variables, a binary classifier was constructed using logistic regression with lasso regularization. Finally, a user-friendly risk table was constructed for practical use. Results: The model resulted in an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) of 0.73 (95% CI = 0.59-0.87). The strongest risk factors were: American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification (ASA), congestive heart failure (CHF), age adjusted Charlson comorbidity index (ACCI) and chronic pulmonary disease. Conclusion: This study with a novel methodological approach adds CHF and chronic pulmonary disease to previously known independent prognostic risk factors for early death after RC. Importantly, the risk prediction tool uses purely pre-operative data and can be used before surgery.

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) is underutilized in the treatment of bladder cancer (BC)., Objective: To investigate the effect of NAC on the risk of surgical complications for radical cystectomy (RC) in a population-based setting., Design, Setting, and Participants: All radical cystectomies performed in Finland during 2005-2014 were included in the study. Data were collected retrospectively using a web-based data collection platform. Complications were recorded for 90 d using the Clavien classification. Patients treated with NAC were compared to patients receiving RC alone using three cohorts and approaches: the entire cohort, a neoadjuvant period cohort, and a matched cohort., Outcome Measurements and Statistical Analysis: For all three cohorts, odds ratios (ORs) were estimated using simple binary logistic regression. In addition, a multivariable stratified logistic model with propensity score was used. For the matched cohort analysis, both univariate and adjusted analyses were carried out., Results and Limitations: During 2005-2014, 1427 RCs were performed in Finland, of which 1385 were included in the analyses. NAC was introduced in 2008, and 231 patients (16%) were assigned to NAC and 214 (15%) received two or more cycles of chemotherapy. Within 90 d, 61% of patients experienced complications and mortality was 4% (1.9% in the NAC group, and 4.4% in the RC-alone group). In simple binary logistic regression, NAC patients had significantly fewer complications, but this was not observed in multivariable or propensity score analyses. In the matched cohort analyses, no differences in complication rates could be observed. None of the analyses demonstrated higher complication rates in the NAC group., Conclusions: Our retrospective study reports on nationwide use of NAC for BC and demonstrates that NAC does not increase RC morbidity., Patient Summary: Chemotherapy given before radical surgery does not increase severe postoperative complications in the treatment of bladder cancer., (Copyright © 2018 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Staging of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) remains a challenge. It is generally acknowledged that the most commonly used imaging techniques have a trend to either upstage or downstage the disease. The aim of this review article is to evaluate the currently available scientific evidence for the use of imaging modalities in preoperative bladder cancer staging with special attention to the detection of lymph node metastasis (LNM). A non-systematic literature search utilizing PubMed database with terms MIBC and LN and MRI or PET or CT was performed with the search limited to articles published between 2010 and 2015. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown potential for local tumor detection and staging in multiple studies, but the accuracy for LNM detection remains disappointingly low. The LN staging accuracy is improved with the use of ultra-small super-paramagnetic particles of iron oxide (USPIO). This experimental method, however, is not commercially available at the moment. Positron emission tomography (PET), a functional imaging technique most commonly accompanied with computed tomography (PET-CT), may also have a role in the detection of bladder cancer LNM in the future. According to the currently available scientific evidence, the following could be recommended for MIBC staging: 1. use of pelvic MRI for primary tumor evaluation and local LNM detection acknowledging limited nodal imaging accuracy; 2. pelvic/abdominal/chest CT for evaluation of distant metastasis. The scientific evidence does not support the routine use of PET-CT (18F-FDG, 18F/11C-choline, 11C-acetate) in bladder cancer staging or in LNM detection.

Staging of muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) remains a challenge. It is generally acknowledged that the most commonly used imaging techniques have a trend either to upstage or downstage the disease. The aim of this review article is to evaluate the currently available scientific evidence for the use of imaging modalities in preoperative bladder cancer staging with special attention to detection of lymph node metastasis (LNM). A non-systematic literature search utilizing PUBMED database with terms MIBC and LN and MRI or PET or CT was performed with the search limited to articles published between 2010-2015. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has shown potential for local tumor detection and staging in multiple studies, but the accuracy for LNM detection remains disappointingly low. The LN staging accuracy is improved with the use of ultra-small super-paramagnetic particles of iron oxide (USPIO). This experimental method, however, is not commercially available at the moment. Positron emission tomography (PET), a functional imaging technique most commonly accompanied with computed tomography (PET/CT), may also have a role in the detection of bladder cancer LNM in the future. According to the currently available scientific evidence, the following could be recommended for MIBC staging: 1. use of pelvic MRI for primary tumor evaluation and local LNM detection acknowledging limited nodal imaging accuracy; 2. pelvic/abdominal/chest CT for evaluation of distant metastasis. The scientific evidence does not support the routine use of PET/CT (18F-FDG, 18F/11C-choline, 11C-acetate) in bladder cancer staging or in LNM detection.