Does the presence of muscularis propria on transurethral resection of bladder tumour specimens affect the rate of upstaging in cT1 bladder cancer? - Abstract

Department of Urology, Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA.

Study Type - Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4.

To determine how the presence of MP on T1 biopsy specimens affects the outcome of patients undergoing RC as compared to when no MP is identified in the TURBT specimen.

Patients were retrospectively identified from the Columbia University Urologic Oncology Database. From January 1986 to October 2009, 114 patients diagnosed with cT1N0M0 bladder cancer who underwent RC within 4 months of their last biopsy were identified. Patients were stratified based on the presence of MP on T1 biopsy, and upstaging was defined as any tumor T2 or greater, N+, or M+ at the time of radical cystectomy. The rate of upstaging was assessed using univariate and multivariate regression models; Kaplan meier curves were also extrapolated for each cohort to compare disease specific and overall survival patterns.

Of the 114 patients evaluated in this study, 24 (20.2%) did not have MP on their T1 biopsy before RC. The rate of upstaging (>=pT2) stratified by the presence of MP on biopsy was 50% and 78%, respectively (p = 0.017). On univariate analysis, lack of MP on biopsy was associated with an increased risk of upstaging (HR 3.52, p = 0.021, CI 1.2-10.3), however did not reach significance as an independent predictor (HR 2.9, p = 0.056, CI 0.97-8.9). At a mean follow-up of 33.5 months, there was no difference in disease specific (p = 0.41) and overall survival (p = 0.68) between groups.

The lack of MP on TURBT for high grade cT1N0M0 bladder cancer portends a high likelihood of upstaging at RC, although this risk did not translate into a detectable increased risk of disease specific mortality.

Written by:
Badalato G, Patel T, Hruby G, McKiernan J.   Are you the author?

Reference: BJU Int. 2010 Dec 22. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1111/j.1464-410X.2010.09893.x

PubMed Abstract
PMID: 21176080

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