BERKELEY, CA (UroToday.com) - The risk of urethral recurrence following cystectomy for bladder cancer is generally 4-10%. Prior studies have suggested that prostatic involvement by tumor is a risk factor for subsequent urethral recurrence. The extent of prostatic involvement may be an indicator of the risk for urethral recurrence, with prostatic stromal invasion being more ominous. However, many patients with unsuspected pathological prostatic involvement are otherwise candidates for orthotopic diversion by virtue of a negative intraoperative urethral margin.
This study reported on 33 patients with pT4a bladder cancer who underwent orthotopic diversion after radical cystectomy. In this cohort, the urethral recurrence rate was 6%, at a median of 2.4 years after cystectomy.
We conclude that the probability of urethral recurrence after orthotopic diversion in pT4a bladder cancer patients is low. Orthotopic urinary diversion may therefore be oncologically safe in this patient population.
Written by:
Hooman Djaladat, MD;a Anirban P. Mitra, MD, PhD;b and Siamak Daneshmand, MDa as part of Beyond the Abstract on UroToday.com. This initiative offers a method of publishing for the professional urology community. Authors are given an opportunity to expand on the circumstances, limitations etc... of their research by referencing the published abstract.
aNorris Comprehensive Cancer Center, USC Institute of Urology
bDepartment of Pathology and Center for Personalized Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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