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BACKGROUND The current study was performed to examine temporal trends and compare overall survival (OS) in patients undergoing radical cystectomy (RC) or bladder-preservation therapy (BPT) for muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. METHODS The authors reviewed the National Cancer Data Base to identify patients with AJCC stage II to III urothelial carcinoma of the bladder from 2004 through 2013. Patients receiving BPT were stratified as having received any external-beam radiotherapy (any XRT), definitive XRT (50-80 grays), and definitive XRT with chemotherapy (CRT). Treatment trends and OS outcomes for the BPT and RC cohorts were evaluated using Cochran-Armitage tests, unadjusted Kaplan-Meier curves, adjusted Cox multivariate regression, and propensity score matching, using increasingly stringent selection criteria. RESULTS A total of 32,300 patients met the inclusion criteria and were treated with RC (22,680 patients) or BPT (9620 patients). Of the patients treated with BPT, 26.4% (2540 patients) and 15.5% (1489 patients), respectively, were treated with definitive XRT and CRT. Improved OS was observed for RC in all groups. After adjustments with more rigorous statistical models controlling for confounders and with more restrictive BPT cohorts, the magnitude of the OS benefit became attenuated on multivariate (any XRT: hazard ratio [HR], 2.115 [95% confidence interval [95% CI], 2.045-2.188]; definitive XRT: HR, 1.870 [95% CI, 1.773-1.972]; and CRT: HR, 1.578 [95% CI, 1.474-1.691]) and propensity score (any XRT: HR, 2.008 [95% CI, 1.871-2.154]; definitive XRT: HR, 1.606 [95% CI, 1.453-1.776]; and CRT: HR, 1.406 [95% CI, 1.235-1.601]) analyses. CONCLUSIONS In the National Cancer Data Base, receipt of BPT was associated with decreased OS compared with RC in patients with stage II to III urothelial carcinoma. Increasingly stringent definitions of BPT and more rigorous statistical methods adjusting for selection biases attenuated observed survival differences. Cancer 2017;123:4337-45. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

BACKGROUND Patients with prostate cancer and their providers face uncertainty as they consider adjuvant radiotherapy (ART) or salvage radiotherapy (SRT) after undergoing radical prostatectomy. The authors prospectively evaluated the impact of the Decipher test, which predicts metastasis risk after radical prostatectomy, on decision making for ART and SRT. METHODS A total of 150 patients who were considering ART and 115 who were considering SRT were enrolled. Providers submitted a management recommendation before processing the Decipher test and again at the time of receipt of the test results. Patients completed validated surveys on prostate cancer (PCa)-specific decisional effectiveness and PCa-related anxiety. RESULTS Before the Decipher test, observation was recommended for 89% of patients considering ART and 58% of patients considering SRT. After Decipher testing, 18% (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 12%-25%) of treatment recommendations changed in the ART arm, including 31% among high-risk patients; and 32% (95% CI, 24%-42%) of management recommendations changed in the salvage arm, including 56% among high-risk patients. Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) scores were better after viewing Decipher test results (ART arm: median DCS before Decipher, 25 and after Decipher, 19 [P

BACKGROUND: Randomized trials have demonstrated that escalated-dose external-beam radiotherapy (EDRT) is better than standard-dose radiotherapy (SDRT) for patients with prostate cancer and that adding androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) to SDRT is better than SDRT alone; however, no trials have compared EDRT versus SDRT plus ADT or EDRT versus EDRT plus ADT. The authors designed a model to estimate the results of various doses of radiotherapy (RT) combined with various durations of ADT. METHODS: From 1989 to 2007, 3215 men consecutively received definitive EDRT with or without ADT. In total, 2012 patients had complete records available for creating the nomogram. The duration of ADT varied for patients who received no RT (n = 1562), ≤6 months of RT (n = 145), from >6 months to

The authors systematically reviewed the literature and conducted a pooled analysis of studies on small renal masses who underwent active surveillance to identify the risk progression and the characteristics associated with metastases.A search of the MEDLINE database was performed to identify all clinical series that reported the surveillance of localized renal masses. For studies that reported individual-level data, clinical and radiographic characteristics of tumors without progression were compared with the characteristics of tumors that progressed to metastases.Eighteen series (880 patients, 936 masses) met screening criteria; and, among these, 18 patients were identified who had tumors that progressed to metastasis (mean, 40.2 months). Six studies (259 patients, 284 masses) provided individual-level data for pooled analysis. At a mean (± standard deviation) follow-up of 33.5 ± 22.6 months, the mean initial greatest tumor dimension was 2.3 ± 1.3 cm, and mean linear growth rate was 0.31 ± 0.38 cm per year. Sixty-five masses (23%) exhibited zero net growth under surveillance, and none of those masses progressed to metastasis. A pooled analysis revealed increased age (age 75.1 ± 9.1 years vs 66.6 ± 12.3 years; P = .03), an initial greatest tumor dimension (4.1 ± 2.1 cm vs 2.3 ± 1.3 cm; P.0001), initial estimated tumor volume (66.3 ± 100.0 cm(3) vs 15.1 ± 60.3 cm(3) ; p = .0001), linear growth rate of (0.8 ± 0.65 cm per year vs 0.3 ± 0.4 cm per year; P = .0001), and a volumetric growth rate of 27.1 ± 24.9 cm(3) per year (vs 6.2 ± 27.5 cm(3) per year; P.0001) in the progression cohort.A substantial proportion of small renal masses remained radiographically static after an initial period of active surveillance. Progression to metastases occurred in a small percentage of patients and generally was a late event. The current results indicated that, in patients who have competing health risks, radiographic surveillance may be an acceptable initial approach, and delayed intervention may be reserved for patients who have tumors that exhibit significant linear or volumetric growth.

BACKGROUND: The growth kinetics of untreated solid organ malignancies are not defined. Radiographic active surveillance (AS) of renal tumors in patients unfit or unwilling to undergo intervention provides an opportunity to quantify the natural history of untreated localized tumors. The authors report the radiographic growth kinetics of renal neoplasms during a period of surveillance. METHODS: The authors identified patients with enhancing renal masses who were radiographically observed for at least 12 months. Clinical and pathological records were reviewed to determine tumor growth kinetics and clinical outcomes. Tumor growth kinetics were expressed in terms of absolute and relative linear and volumetric growth. RESULTS: The authors identified 172 renal tumors in 154 patients under AS. Median tumor diameter and volume on presentation were 2.0 cm (mean, 2.5; range, 0.4-12.0) and 4.18 cm3 (mean, 20.0; range, 0.033-904). Median duration of follow-up was 24 months (mean, 31; range, 12-156). A significant association between presenting tumor size and proportional growth was noted, with smaller tumors growing faster than larger tumors. Thirty-nine percent (68 of 173) of tumors underwent delayed intervention, and 84% (57 of 68) were pathologically malignant. Progression to metastatic disease was noted in 1.3% (2 of 154) of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The authors demonstrated the association between a tumor's volume and subsequent growth, with smaller tumors exhibiting significantly faster volumetric growth than larger tumors, consistent with Gompertzian kinetics. Surveillance of localized renal tumors is associated with a low rate of disease progression in the intermediate term, and suggests potential overtreatment biases in select patients. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.

BACKGROUND. Prompt surgical management remains the standard of care for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Occasionally, it is necessary to postpone or delay surgical treatment. The authors of this report assessed whether delayed intervention following a period of active surveillance altered minimally invasive or nephron-sparing treatment plans, increased the risk of stage progression, and/or decreased recurrence-free survival rates. METHODS. The authors searched their institutional kidney cancer database to identify small (≤4 cm in greatest dimension on presentation), enhancing renal masses for which treatment initially was delayed or refused. Clinical, radiographic, and pathologic records were reviewed to determine linear tumor growth kinetics, alterations in treatment plan, stage migration, and cancer-specific outcomes related to delayed intervention. RESULTS. Eighty-seven sporadic, localized, enhancing renal masses were identified in 82 patients who had management postponed for a median of 14 months (mean, 21 months; range, 6–97 months). Median tumor diameter was 2.0 cm on presentation. Treatment in 60 of 87 tumors (69%) was delayed for ≥12 months, and treatment was delayed for ≥24 months in 29 of 87 tumors (33%). Overall, 66 of 87 tumors (76%) underwent nephron-sparing approaches. In addition, 52 of 87 tumors (60%) were treated in a minimally invasive fashion. Pathology confirmed RCC in 73 of 87 treated tumors (84%). Fourteen of 54 tumors (26%) that were treated by surgical extirpation were high-risk tumors, and 3 of 54 tumors (6%) were upstaged on pathologic review. CONCLUSIONS. The majority of small, sporadic, clinically localized renal tumors demonstrated slow interval growth. The management of these lesions may be delayed cautiously without limiting or complicating the available treatment options or incurring a high risk of disease progression. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.