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Objective: To overview the updated Swedish National Guidelines on Urothelial Carcinoma 2021, with emphasis on non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Methods: A narrative review of the updated version of the Swedish National Guidelines on Urothelial Carcinoma 2021 and highlighting new treatment recommendations, with comparison to the European Association of Urology (EAU) guidelines and current literature. Results: For NMIBC the new EAU 2021 risk group stratification has been introduced for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer to predict risk of progression and the web-based application has been translated to Swedish (https://nmibc.net.). For patients with non-BCG -responsive disease treatment recommendations have been pinpointed, to guide patient counselling in this clinical situation. A new recommendation in the current version of the guidelines is the introduction of four courses of adjuvant platinum-based chemotherapy to patients with advanced disease in the nephroureterectomy specimen (pT2 or higher and/or N+). Patients with papillary urothelial neoplasms with low malignant potential (PUNLMP) can be discharged from follow-up already after 3 years based on a very low subsequent risk of further recurrences. Conclusions: The current version of the Swedish national guidelines introduces a new risk-stratification model and follow-up recommendation for NMIBC and adjuvant chemotherapy after radical surgery for UTUC.

We constructed Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe) 2.0 to expand studies in BladderBaSe on incidence, treatment outcomes, side effects, survival and health economic aspects of men and women with cancer in the urinary bladder, upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) (renal pelvis and ureter) and urethral carcinoma.BladderBaSe 2.0 includes 53 298 patients with cancer in the urinary bladder, diagnosed from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2019, and 961 patients with UTUC in the renal pelvis and 792 in the ureter, and 146 patients with urethral urothelial carcinoma, diagnosed from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2019, and in total 275 816 participants in reference groups, free of cancer in the urinary tract, matched 1:5 on sex, age and county.To date, 18 published studies based on data from the BladderBaSe have investigated calendar time trends in survival; impact of gender, socioeconomic factors, tumour aggressiveness and hospital volume for radical cystectomy on prognosis; survival after radical cystectomy compared with radical radiotherapy; risk factors for complications and side effects after radical cystectomy such as thromboembolism, strictures of ureteroenterostomies and incisional hernia.The BladderBaSe initiators are currently investigating gender-dependent detection delays due to urinary tract infections; survival after non-muscle invasive bladder cancer with respect to the number of transurethral resections; short-term outcomes comparing open and robot-assisted radical cystectomy; studies on risk for intravesical recurrence after different diagnostic measures in UTUC, and suicide risk after bladder cancer diagnosis. The BladderBaSe project group is open for collaborations with national and international colleagues.

Introduction: We aimed to compare short term outcomes after robot assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) and open radical cystectomy (ORC) for urinary bladder cancer in a large population. Materials and methods: We included all patients without distant metastases who underwent either RARC or ORC with ileal conduit between 2011 and 2019 registered in the Bladder cancer data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe) 2.0. Primary outcome was unplanned readmissions within 90 days, and secondary out-comes within 90 days of surgery were reoperations, Clavien 3-5 complications, total days alive and out of hospital, and mortality. The analysis was carried out using multivariate regression models. Results: Out of 2905 patients, 832 were operated with RARC and 2073 with ORC. Robotic procedures were to a larger extent performed during later years, at high volume centers (47% vs 17%), more often for organ-confined disease (82% vs. 72%) and more frequently in patients with high socioeconomic status (26% vs. 21%). Patients operated with RARC were more commonly readmitted (29% vs. 25%). In multi -variable analysis RARC was associated with decreased risk of Clavien 3-5 complications (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.47-0.72), reoperations (OR 0.53, 95% CI 0.39-0.71) and had more days alive and out of hospital (mean difference 3.7 days, 95% CI 2.4-5.0). Conclusion: This study illustrates the "real-world" effects of a gradual and nation-wide introduction of RARC. Patients operated with RARC had fewer major complications and reoperations but were more frequently readmitted compared to ORC. The observed differences were largely due to more wound related complications among patients treated with ORC.

Background Intravesical recurrence (IVR) after surgery for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is a clinical problem. We investigated if preoperative invasive diagnostic modalities (IDM) such as antegrade/retrograde uretero-pyelography and/or selective urine cytology/barbotage, and URS with or without concomitant biopsy are associated with IVR after radical surgery for UTUC. Risk of death from urothelial cancer and all causes was investigated as secondary outcomes. Methods We investigated a population-based cohort of 1038 consecutive patients subjected to radical surgery for UTUC 2015–2019 in Sweden, using the Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe 2.0), comprising all patients in the Swedish National Registry of Urinary Bladder Cancer. Risk estimates of IVR, death from urothelial cancer, and all causes was assessed using multivariable Cox regression models. Results The study included 536 cases with and 502 without preoperative IDM. IDM was associated with increased risk of IVR (HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.03–1.52) and risk of urothelial cancer death (HR 1.56, CI 1.12–2.18), compared to no IDM after a median follow-up of 1.3 yrs. Stratified analysis for tumor location showed that IDM was associated with risk of IVR in ureteric cancer (HR 1.66, 95% CI 1.21–2.28) but not in renal pelvic cancer (HR 1.07, 95% CI 0.81–1.41). Limitations included the observational setting and the lack of variables such as tumour grade, multifocality and preoperative hydronephrosis. Conclusions Worse outcomes for patients subjected to preoperative IDM highlight the need for carefully considering diagnostic decisions for UTUC patients, specifically in tumours located in the ureter.

OBJECTIVE: Papillary urothelial neoplasm of low malignant potential (PUNLMP) and stage TaG1 non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) represent separate categories in current WHO 1999 grade definitions. Similarly, PUNLMP and Ta low-grade are separate entities in the WHO 2004/2016 grading system. However, this classification is currently questioned by reports showing a similar risk of recurrence and progression for both categories. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this population-based study, risk estimates were evaluated in patients diagnosed with PUNLMP (n = 135) or stage TaG1 (n = 2176) NMIBC 2004-2008 with 5-year follow-up registration in the nation-wide Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe). The risk of recurrence was assessed using multivariable Cox regression with adjustment for multiple confounders (age, gender, marital status, comorbidity, educational level, and health care region). RESULTS: At five years, 28/135 (21%) patients with PUNLMP and 922/2176 (42%) with TaG1 had local recurrence. The corresponding progression rates were 0.7% (1/135) and 4.0% (86/2176), respectively. A higher relative risk of recurrence was detected in patients with TaG1 tumours compared to PUNLMP (Hazard Ratio 1.6, 95% CI 1.2-2.0) at 5-year follow-up, while progression events were too few to compare. CONCLUSIONS: The difference in risk of recurrence between primary stage TaG1 and PUNLMP stands in contrast to the recently adapted notion that treatment and follow-up strategies can be merged into one low-risk group of NMIBC.

Objective: The incidence of benign ureteroenteric strictures following radical cystectomy (RC) for urinary bladder cancer (UBC) is investigated mainly in single-centre studies from high-volume centres. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cumulative incidence of strictures and risk factors in a population-based cohort. Patients and methods: Data was collected from Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe). The primary endpoint was stricture with intervention. Secondary endpoint included hydronephrosis both with/without intervention. Results: In total, 5,816 patients were registered as having had RC due to UBC between 1997 and 2014. After a median follow-up of 23.5 months (IQR = 9.0–63.1 months; range = 0.0–214.0 months), we found that 515 (8.9%) patients underwent intervention for stricture. Seven hundred and sixty-one (13.1%) patients were diagnosed with hydronephrosis without intervention. The cumulative incidence of strictures with intervention was 19.7% (95% CI = 16.7–23.1%) during the 17 years of follow-up. In the first year, the cumulative incidence of strictures was 5.6% (95% CI = 5.0–6.2%), and in the first 2 years 8.4% (95% CI = 7.6–9.3%). For the secondary endpoint, the cumulative incidence was 30.4% (95% CI = 26.7–33.1%) after 17 years. Only the year of RC was associated with stricture incidence in Cox regression analysis, whereas hospital cystectomy volume, patient age and patient sex were not. Conclusion: Ureteroenteric strictures requiring intervention may be more common than previously reported, affecting nearly one fifth of patients who have undergone RC for UBC. The annual incidence was highest in the first 2 years after surgery but the cumulative incidence increased continuously during 17 years of follow-up.

Objectives To compare time intervals to diagnosis and treatment, tumor characteristics, and management in patients with primary urinary bladder cancer, diagnosed before and after the implementation of a standardized care pathway (SCP) in Sweden. Materials and methods Data from the Swedish National Register of Urinary Bladder Cancer was studied before (2011-2015) and after (2016-2019) SCP. Data about time from referral to transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT), patients and tumor characteristics, and management were analyzed. Subgroup analyses were performed for cT1 and cT2-4 tumors. Results Out of 26,795 patients, median time to TURBT decreased from 37 to 27 days after the implementation of SCP. While the proportion of cT2-T4 tumors decreased slightly (22-21%, p < 0.001), this change was not stable over time and the proportions cN + and cM1 remained unchanged. In the subgroups with cT1 and cT2-4 tumors, the median time to TURBT decreased and the proportions of patients discussed at a multidisciplinary team conference (MDTC) increased after SCP. In neither of these subgroups was a change in the proportions of cN + and cM1 observed, while treatment according to guidelines increased after SCP in the cT1 group. Conclusion After the implementation of SCP, time from referral to TURBT decreased and the proportion of patients discussed at MDTC increased, although not at the levels recommended by guidelines. Thus, our findings point to the need for measures to increase adherence to SCP recommendations and to guidelines. Funding Agencies|Swedish government [ALFGBG-873181]; Swedish county councils, the ALF-agreement [ALFGBG-873181]; Department of Research and Development, NU-Hospital GroupNU Hospital Group

PURPOSE: To study how patients with urinary bladder cancer (UBC) with previous or concomitant other primary cancers (OPC) were treated, and to investigate their prognosis.METHODS: Using nationwide ...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Bladder cancer is primarily a disease of older age and little is known about the differences between patients diagnosed with bladder cancer at a younger versus older age. Our objectives were to compare bladder cancer specific survival in patients aged

Purpose: To investigate the clinical management and outcome of patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer with clinical lymph node involvement, using longitudinal nationwide population-based data ...

Objective: To evaluate trends in bladder cancer incidence, survival and mortality in Sweden from 1997-2016.Patients and methods: The Swedish National Registry of Urinary Bladder Cancer is a nation- ...

Objective To assess the value of second-look resection (SLR) in stage T1 bladder cancer (BCa) with respect to progression-free survival (PFS), and also the secondary outcomes recurrence-free survival (RFS), bladder-cancer-specific survival (CSS), and cystectomy-free survival (CFS). Patients and methods The study included 2456 patients diagnosed with stage T1 BCa 2004-2009 with 5-yr follow-up registration in the nationwide Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe). PFS, RFS, CSS, and CFS were evaluated in stage T1 BCa patients with or without routine SLR, using univariate and multivariable Cox regression with adjustment for multiple confounders (age, gender, tumour grade, intravesical treatment, hospital volume, comorbidity, and educational level). Results SLR was performed in 642 (26%) individuals, and more frequently on patients who were aged < 75 yr, had grade 3 tumours, and had less comorbidity. There was no association between SLR and PFS (hazard ratio [HR] 1.1, confidence interval [CI] 0.85-1.3), RFS (HR 1.0, CI 0.90-1.2), CFS (HR 1.2, CI 0.95-1.5) or CSS (HR 1.1, CI 0.89-1.4). Conclusions We found similar survival outcomes in patients with and patients without SLR, but our study is likely affected by selection mechanisms. A randomised study defining the role of SLR in stage T1 BCa would be highly relevant to guide current praxis. Funding Agencies|Swedish Cancer SocietySwedish Cancer Society [CAN 2019/62, CAN 2017/278]; Lund Medical Faculty (ALF); Skane University Hospital Research Funds; Gyllenstierna Krapperups Foundation; Cancer Research Fund at Malmo General Hospital; Stiftelsen Sigurd och Elsa Goljes Minne; Bergqvist Foundation; Skane County Councils Research and Development Foundation [REGSKANE622351]; Gosta Jonsson Research Foundation; Foundation of Urological Research; Hillevi Fries Research Foundation

BACKGROUND: Routine VTE prophylaxis within 30 days of radical cystectomy (RC) for urinary bladder cancer (UBC) is used to protect from venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, randomized studies and nationwide population-based studies are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To study VTE and risk factors for VTE in muscle-invasive UBC in a nationwide population-based series, with a focus on the association with RC with and without chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied all patients with clinical stage T2-T4 UBC diagnosed 1997 to 2014 in the Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe). Previous VTE events and risk factors for VTE were registered from 1987. Cox regression analyses and Kaplan-Meier curves were performed to study risk factors for VTE and cumulative incidence of VTE. RESULTS: In 9720 patients (71% males) with a median age of 74 years 546 (5.6%) had VTE after diagnosis. In Cox analyses controlling for patients and tumour characteristics, and risk factors for VTE, VTE after diagnosis and first treatment date were associated with chemotherapy with or without RC. Cumulative incidence of VTE increased during 24 months after diagnosis and first treatment date. VTE were less common in patients with previous cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSION: VTE was commonly observed after 30 days from diagnosis and from first treatment date in patients with T2-T4 UBC, particularly after chemotherapy. The findings suggest that long-term intervention studies of benefit and possible harms of VTE prophylaxis after UBC should be undertaken. Funding Agencies|Swedish Cancer SocietySwedish Cancer Society [CAN 2016/470, CAN 2017/278]

Objective For patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer, a procedure requiring complex urinary tract reconstruction prone to major postoperative complications, the timing and quality of the surgery have been associated with outcomes. Patients and methods This study investigated if radical cystectomy for bladder cancer performed during holiday periods had worse disease-specific (DSS) and overall survival (OS), higher 90-day mortality and risk of readmissions. All patients operated on with radical cystectomy for primary bladder cancer during 1997-2014 with holiday periods as exposure (with one narrow (7 weeks) and one wider (14 weeks) definition) in the Swedish population-based bladder cancer research-database (BladderBaSe) were studied. DSS and OS after radical cystectomy during holiday periods were analysed with Cox regression models adjusted for sex, age, comorbidity, marital status, T-stage and nodal metastases, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, hospital volume and year of cystectomy. Results Surgery during the holiday periods (narrow and wide definitions) were not associated with DSS (Hazard ratio [HR] = 1.05, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.90-1.21 and HR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.91-1.17), respectively. HRs for OS were similar, and no associations between radical cystectomy during any of the holiday period definitions and 90-day mortality and readmission were found. Conclusion Survival after radical cystectomy in Sweden is similar during holiday and non-holiday periods. Funding Agencies|Swedish Cancer SocietySwedish Cancer Society [CAN 2019/62, CAN 2017/278]; Lund Medical Faculty (ALF); Skane University Hospital Research Funds; Gyllenstierna Krapperup s Foundation; Skane County Councils Research and Development Foundation [REGSKANE-622351]; Gosta Jonsson Research Foundation; Foundation of Urological Research; Hillevi Fries Research Foundation

Objectives: To prospectively register self-reported pain levels associated with office cystoscopy with or without bladder tumour biopsy and fulguration.Patients and methods: During a 15-month period, patients examined with cystoscopy under local anaesthesia graded their pain level using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). All patients were examined in the lithotomy position and lidocaine gel was used in all. A bladder instillation or a submucosal injection of lidocaine was given mainly in patients treated with extirpation of larger tumours.Results: The pain perception was graded by the patients as none (VAS = 0) or mild (VAS = 1-3) in 86% of the 1,314 cystoscopies. Fewer patients (65% out of 258) reported VAS 0-3 when cystoscopy with biopsy and fulguration of bladder tumour was performed. More than 97% of all patients stated that they would prefer treatment under local anaesthesia in the case of a future recurrence.Conclusion: The VAS-scores after diagnostic cystoscopy are in accordance with those previously reported, with the absolute majority reporting no or mild pain. Patients treated with extirpation of bladder tumours reported higher levels of pain but still within acceptable limits. This confirms the potential of treating most patients with small-sized bladder tumour recurrences under local anaesthesia.

To study how patients with urinary bladder cancer (UBC) with previous or concomitant other primary cancers (OPCs) were treated, and to investigate their prognosis.Using nationwide population-based data in the Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe), we analysed the probability of treatment with curative intent, and UBC-specific and overall survival (OS) in patients with UBC diagnosed in the period 1997-2014 with or without OPC. The analyses considered the patient's characteristics, UBC tumour stage at diagnosis, and site of OPC.There were 38 689 patients, of which 9804 (25%) had OPCs. Those with synchronous OPCs more often had T2 and T3 tumours and clinically distant disease at diagnosis than those with UBC only. Patients with synchronous prostate cancer, female genital cancer and lower gastro-intestinal cancer were more often treated with curative intent than patients with UBC only. When models of survival were adjusted for age at diagnosis, marital status, education, year of diagnosis, Charlson Comorbidity Index and T-stage, UBC-specific survival was similar to patients with UBC only, but OS was lower for patients with synchronous OPC, explained mainly by deaths in OPC primaries with a bad prognosis.OPC is common in patients with UBC. Treatment for UBC, after or in conjunction with an OPC, should not be neglected and carries just as high a probability of success as treatment in patients with UBC only. The needs of patients with UBC and OPC, and optimisation of their treatment considering their complicated disease trajectory are important areas of research.

Purpose Preoperative chemotherapy is underused in conjunction with radical cystectomy (RC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) due to concerns for complications and delay of surgery. Prospective data on short-term complications from population-based settings with frequent use of preoperative chemotherapy and standardised reporting of complications is lacking. Methods We identified 1,340 patients who underwent RC between 2011 and 2015 in Sweden due to MIBC according to the Swedish Cystectomy Register. These individuals were followed through linkages to several national registers. Propensity score adjusted logistic regression was used to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for complications and death within 90 days of surgery, comparing patients receiving preoperative chemotherapy or not. Results Minimum two cycles of preoperative chemotherapy were given to 519 (39%) of the patients, who on average tended to be younger, have higher education, better physical status, and more advanced bladder cancer than patients not receiving chemotherapy. After adjusting for these and other parameters, there was no association between treatment with preoperative chemotherapy and short-term complications (OR 1.06 95% CI 0.82–1.39) or mortality (OR 0.75 95% CI 0.36–1.55). We observed a risk reduction for gastrointestinal complications among patients who received preoperative chemotherapy compared with those who did not (OR 0.49 95% CI 0.30–0.81). Conclusion This nation-wide population-based observational study does not suggest that preoperative chemotherapy, in a setting with high utilisation of such treatment, is associated with an increased risk of short-term complications in MIBC patients treated with radical cystectomy. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00345-019-02770-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The aim of this investigation was to study differences between male and female patients with stage T1 urinary bladder cancer (UBC) regarding intravesical instillation therapy, second resection and survival.This study included all patients with non-metastatic primary T1 UBC reported to the Swedish National Register of Urinary Bladder Cancer (SNRUBC) from 1997 to 2014, excluding those treated with primary cystectomy. Differences between groups were evaluated using chi-squared tests and logistic regression, and survival was investigated using Kaplan-Meier and log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards analysis.In all, 7681 patients with T1 UBC (77% male, 23% female) were included. Females were older than males at the time of diagnosis (median age at presentation 76 and 74 years, respectively; p .001). A larger proportion of males than females underwent intravesical instillation therapy (39% vs 33%, p .001). Relative survival was lower in women aged ≥75 years and women with G3 tumours compared to men. However, women aged ≥75 years who had T1G3 tumours and underwent second resection followed by intravesical instillation therapy showed a relative survival equal to that observed in men.This population-based study demonstrates that women of all ages with T1 UBC undergo intravesical instillation therapy less frequently than men, and that relative survival is poorer in women aged ≥75 years than in men of the same age when intravesical instillation therapy and second resection are not used. However, these disparities may disappear with treatment according to guidelines.

Purpose: To investigate the management of TaG3 tumours of the urinary bladder using nationwide population-based data in relation to the prevailing guidelines, patients' characteristics, and outcome ...

To investigate the association between hospital volume and overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and quality of care of patients with bladder cancer who undergo radical cystectomy (RC), defined as the use of extended lymphadenectomy (eLND), continent reconstruction, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC), and treatment delay of3 months.We used the Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe) to study survival and indicators of perioperative quality of care in all 3172 patients who underwent RC for primary invasive bladder cancer stage T1-T3 in Sweden between 1997 and 2014. The period-specific mean annual hospital volume (PSMAV) during the 3 years preceding surgery was applied as an exposure and analysed using univariate and multivariate mixed models, adjusting for tumour and nodal stage, age, gender, comorbidity, educational level, and NAC. PSMAV was either categorised in tertiles, dichotomised (at ≥25 RCs annually), or used as a continuous variable for every increase of 10 RCs annually.PSMAV in the highest tertile (≥25 RCs annually) was associated with improved OS (hazard ratio [HR] 0.87, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.75-1.0), whereas the corresponding HR for CSS was 0.87 (95% CI 0.73-1.04). With PSMAV as a continuous variable, OS was improved for every increase of 10 RCs annually (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.90-0.99). Moreover, higher PSMAV was associated with increased use of eLND, continent reconstruction and NAC, but also more frequently with a treatment delay of3 months after diagnosis.The current study supports centralisation of RC for bladder cancer, but also underpins the need for monitoring treatment delays associated with referral.

Introduction We prospectively registered the grade, stage, number and size of bladder tumor recurrences as to our knowledge this has not yet been done. New tumors were included in the study for comparative purposes. Methods All 581 transurethral resections, random biopsies and fulgurations for a suspected bladder tumor were prospectively registered during a 15-month period at a single institution. Tumor size was determined using the size of the resection loop or biopsy forceps as a reference. Results Of all suspected new and recurrent bladder tumors 22% were benign or inflammatory lesions. A total of 167 patients with a new urothelial tumor and 214 recurrences in 166 patients were registered during the study period. Compared to new tumors, recurrences were more often noninvasive (88% vs 67%, p Conclusions The absolute majority of suspected bladder tumor recurrences are benign or low grade noninvasive malignant tumors and are less than 10 mm in diameter. This finding suggests that there is great potential for cost reductions when a significant proportion of patients with suspected recurrences after treatment of low grade tumors could undergo biopsy and fulguration using local anesthesia in the office instead of general anesthesia.

Purpose To monitor the quality of bladder cancer care, the Swedish National Register of Urinary Bladder Cancer (SNRUBC) was initiated in 1997. During 2015, in order to study trends in incidence, effects of treatment and survival of men and women with bladder cancer, we linked the SNRUBC to other national healthcare and demographic registers and constructed the Bladder Cancer Data Base Sweden (BladderBaSe). Participants The SNRUBC is a nationwide register with detailed information on 97% of bladder cancer cases in Sweden as compared with the Swedish Cancer Register. Participants in the SNRUBC have registered data on tumour characteristics at diagnosis, and for 98% of these treatment data have been captured. From 2009, the SNRUBC holds data on 88% of eligible participants for follow-up 5 years after diagnosis of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, and from 2011, data on surgery details and complications for 85% of participants treated with radical cystectomy. The BladderBaSe includes all data in the SNRUBC from 1997 to 2014, and additional covariates and follow-up data from linked national register sources on comorbidity, socioeconomic factors, detailed information on readmissions and treatment side effects, and causes of death. Findings to date Studies based on data in the SNRUBC have shown inequalities in survival and treatment indication by gender, regions and hospital volume. The BladderBaSe includes 38 658 participants registered in SNRUBC with bladder cancer diagnosed from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2014. The BladderBaSe initiators are currently in collaboration with researchers from the SNRUBC investigating different aspects of bladder cancer survival. Future plans The SNRUBC and the BladderBaSe project are open for collaborations with national and international research teams. Collaborators can submit proposals for studies and study files can be uploaded to servers for remote access and analysis. For more information, please contact the corresponding author.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of intravesical treatment and cancer-specific survival of patients with primary carcinoma in situ (CIS).Data acquisition was based on the Swedish National Registry of Urinary Bladder Cancer by selecting all patients with primary CIS. The analysis covered gender, age, hospital type and hospital volume. Intravesical treatment and death due to bladder cancer were evaluated by multivariate logistic regression and multivariate Cox analysis, respectively.The study included 1041 patients (median age at diagnosis 72 years) with a median follow-up of 65 months. Intravesical instillation therapy was given to 745 patients (72%), and 138 (13%) died from bladder cancer during the observation period. Male gender [odds ratio (OR) = 1.56, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.13-2.17] and treatment at county (OR = 1.65, 95% CI 1.17-2.33), university (OR =2.12, 95% CI 1.48-3.03) or high-volume (OR = 1.92, 95% CI 1.34-2.75) hospitals were significantly associated with higher odds of intravesical instillations. The age category ≥80 years had a significantly lower chance of receiving intravesical therapy (OR = 0.44, 95% CI 0.26-0.74) and a significantly higher risk of dying from bladder cancer (hazard ratio = 3.03, 95% CI 1.71-5.35).Significantly more frequent use of intravesical treatment of primary CIS was found for males and for patients treated at county, university and high-volume hospitals. Age ≥80 years was significantly related to less intravesical treatment and poorer cancer-specific survival.

Background It is not known how long follow-up cystoscopy in tumour-free bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG)–treated patients should continue. Objective Determine the incidence of late recurrences and progression after a tumour-free period of >5 yr after BCG treatment. Design, setting, and participants Data on 542 patients with non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with BCG between 1986 and 2003 were analysed. Of 542 patients, 204 patients (37.6%) were tumour-free for ≥5 yr. The median tumour-free period was 105.5 mo (range: 60–252 mo). Measurements To compare the tumour-free group with patients who were not tumour-free for 5 yr, traditional variables (tumour grade, tumour stage, age, gender, tumour number and size, primary or recurrent tumour, BCG strain, previous chemotherapy, previous upper tract tumour, number of earlier resections, and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer recurrence and progression risk groups) were analysed using the Fisher exact test for dichotomous variables, the Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test for ordered categorical variables, and the Mann-Whitney U -test for continuous variables. Kaplan-Meier curves for time to recurrence were constructed using Statistica software (StatSoft, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA). Differences between groups were tested with the log-rank test. For continuous variables, Cox proportional hazard regression was performed to find significant effect on the time to recurrence. Results and limitations Twenty-two of 204 patients (10.8%) had a recurrence after being tumour-free for ≥5 yr. The Kaplan-Meier estimated risk for recurrence was 12.5% at 10 yr and 20.5% at 15 yr. Among patients with TaG1–TaG2 before BCG, 11 of 79 patients (13.9%) had recurrences, including three patients with invasive extravesical tumours. Among the bladder recurrences were seven TaG1s and one carcinoma in situ (CIS). Among the 125 patients with TaG3/CIS/T1 before BCG, 11 patients (8.8%) had recurrences, including 2 patients with invasive ureter tumours. The bladder recurrences were one T2, four CIS, and four TaG1. Late recurrences were 8.5 times more common among patients with recurrent tumours before BCG compared with patients treated after their first tumour episode. The study was retrospective and nonrandomised but unselected and population-based. Conclusions A tumour-free period of 5 yr after BCG treatment is a good prognostic sign, but recurrences after >10 yr are not unusual. Literature data and the present report support cystoscopy follow-up for ≥10–15 tumour-free years, at least among patients with recurrent tumours and/or high-grade lesions before BCG treatment.

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Intravesical BCG treatment has been used worldwide for many decades but there are only a few published reports on persisting BCG infection of the urinary bladder. This is the first report on large tuberculosis-like ulcers of the urinary bladder after intravesical BCG treatment. The finding results in a recommendation to take urine cultures for mycobacteriae in patients with unclear inflammatory lesions in the bladder after instillation of BCG. OBJECTIVE • To report a late bacille Calmette–Guerin (BCG) complication previously not described in the literature. PATIENTS AND METHODS • We reviewed our database with 858 patients treated with BCG from 1986 to 2008 and identified 13 male patients (1.8% of all male patients) who had a large tuberculous-like bladder ulcer. RESULTS • All patients had high-grade tumours and seven had tumours invading lamina propria before BCG treatment. A solitary ulceration or inflammatory lesion, 10–50 mm in diameter, was seen at routine follow-up cystoscopy 2–34 months (median 8 months) after the first instillation. Significantly more patients had been treated with BCG-RIVM than with BCG-Tice (10/320 vs. three of 454, P < 0.01). BCG was cultured from urine 3–34 months (median 14 months) after the last instillation. • So far, eight patients have been successfully treated with rifampicin and isoniazid. Nine patients are still tumour-free 15–66 months (median 44 months) after the last transurethral resection before BCG treatment. • Another three patients had one to two non-invasive recurrences. One patient had an invasive recurrence and underwent cystectomy. The present study is limited by biases associated with its retrospective design. CONCLUSIONS • This is the first report on persisting BCG infections with large inflammatory lesions in the bladder. Treatment is effective and the oncological outcome is good. • Mycobacterial cultures of the urine should be performed in BCG-patients with unclear inflammatory lesions in the bladder since a delayed diagnosis of a persistent BCG infection could result in a permanently reduced bladder capacity. • Large studies are warranted to study differences in efficacy and side-effects between different BCG strains.

• To report a late bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) complication previously not described in the literature.• We reviewed our database with 858 patients treated with BCG from 1986 to 2008 and identified 13 male patients (1.8% of all male patients) who had a large tuberculous-like bladder ulcer.• All patients had high-grade tumours and seven had tumours invading lamina propria before BCG treatment. A solitary ulceration or inflammatory lesion, 10-50 mm in diameter, was seen at routine follow-up cystoscopy 2-34 months (median 8 months) after the first instillation. Significantly more patients had been treated with BCG-RIVM than with BCG-Tice (10/320 vs. three of 454, P0.01). BCG was cultured from urine 3-34 months (median 14 months) after the last instillation. • So far, eight patients have been successfully treated with rifampicin and isoniazid. Nine patients are still tumour-free 15-66 months (median 44 months) after the last transurethral resection before BCG treatment. • Another three patients had one to two non-invasive recurrences. One patient had an invasive recurrence and underwent cystectomy. The present study is limited by biases associated with its retrospective design.• This is the first report on persisting BCG infections with large inflammatory lesions in the bladder. Treatment is effective and the oncological outcome is good. • Mycobacterial cultures of the urine should be performed in BCG-patients with unclear inflammatory lesions in the bladder since a delayed diagnosis of a persistent BCG infection could result in a permanently reduced bladder capacity. • Large studies are warranted to study differences in efficacy and side-effects between different BCG strains.