Extent of surgery and pathology evaluation has an impact on bladder cancer outcomes after radical cystectomy

Objectives. To evaluate whether the extent of surgery and of the pathology evaluation affects the outcome of patients with bladder cancer after radical cystectomy. Methods. The data from 637 patients with invasive bladder cancer who underwent radical cystectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection were analyzed. Associations between surgical and pathologic variables and 5-year disease-specific survival and local recurrence outcomes were investigated. Results. The pathologic tumor stage and node status were significant variables for survival. For both node-negative and node-positive patients, improved survival and a reduced local recurrence rate was associated with negative surgical margins and a greater number of lymph nodes removed. Conclusions. The extent of surgery and of the pathology evaluation has an impact on the outcome of patients with bladder cancer after cystectomy. Such information is important not only for therapy and the prognosis of individuals, but also for identifying candidates for adjuvant chemotherapy. UROLOGY 61: 105-108, 2003. (C) 2003, Elsevier Science Inc.