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Background: Surveillance recommendations for patients with low-risk, non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) are based on limited evidence. The objective of this study was to add to the evidence by assessing outcomes after frequent versus recommended cystoscopic surveillance., Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients diagnosed with low-risk (low-grade Ta (AJCC)) NMIBC from 2005 to 2011 with follow-up through 2014 from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Patients were classified as having undergone frequent versus recommended cystoscopic surveillance (>3 vs 1-3 cystoscopies in the first 2 years after diagnosis). By using propensity score-adjusted models, the authors estimated the impact of frequent cystoscopy on the number of transurethral resections, the number of resections without cancer in the specimen, and the risk of progression to muscle-invasive cancer or bladder cancer death., Results: Among 1042 patients, 798 (77%) had more frequent cystoscopy than recommended. In adjusted analyses, the frequent cystoscopy group had twice as many transurethral resections (55 vs 26 per 100 person-years; P < .001) and more than 3 times as many resections without cancer in the specimen (5.7 vs 1.6 per 100 person-years; P < .001). Frequent cystoscopy was not associated with time to progression or bladder cancer death (3% at 5 years in both groups; P = .990)., Conclusions: Frequent cystoscopy among patients with low-risk NMIBC was associated with twice as many transurethral resections and did not decrease the risk for bladder cancer progression or death, supporting current guidelines., (© 2019 American Cancer Society.)

Objective: To understand cystoscopic surveillance practices among patients with low-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)., Methods: Using a validated natural language processing algorithm, we included patients newly diagnosed with low-risk (ie low-grade Ta) NMIBC from 2005 to 2011 in the VA. Patients were followed until cancer recurrence, death, last contact, or 2 years after diagnosis. Based on guidelines, surveillance overuse was defined as >1 cystoscopy if followed <1 year, >2 cystoscopies if followed 1 to <2 years, or >3 cystoscopies if followed for 2 years. We identified patient, provider, and facility factors associated with overuse using multilevel logistic regression., Results: Overuse occurred in 75% of patients (852/1135) - with an excess of 1846 more cystoscopies performed than recommended. Adjusting for 14 factors, overuse was associated with patient race (odds ratio [OR] 0.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.28, 0.85 unlisted race vs White), having 2 comorbidities (OR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.00, 2.55 vs no comorbidities), and earlier year of diagnosis (OR 2.50, 95% CI: 1.29, 4.83 for 2005 vs 2011, and OR 2.03, 95% CI: 1.11, 3.69 for 2006 vs 2011). On sensitivity analyses assuming all patients were diagnosed with multifocal or large low-grade tumors (ie, intermediate-risk), overuse would have still occurred in 45% of patients., Conclusion: Overuse of cystoscopy among patients with low-risk NMIBC was common, raising concerns about bladder cancer surveillance cost and quality. However, few factors were associated with overuse. Further qualitative research is needed to identify other determinants of overuse not readily captured in administrative data., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: To assess geographic variation in cystoscopy rates among women vs men with suspected bladder cancer, lending insight into gender-specific differences in cystoscopic evaluation., Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of all fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries within 306 Hospital Referral Regions (HRRs) who received care in 2014. For each HRR, we calculated the age- and race-adjusted cystoscopy rate for women and men as our primary outcome. The rate was the number of beneficiaries who underwent cystoscopy for bladder cancer symptoms (using procedure and ICD-9 diagnosis codes) divided by all beneficiaries in the HRR. We used the coefficient of variation to compare relative variability of cystoscopy rates., Results: Overall, 173,551 women (n = 14.8 million) and 286,090 men (n = 11.5 million) underwent cystoscopy in 2014. While women received less cystoscopies compared to men (mean 11.0 vs 23.5 per 1000, P < .001), there was greater variation in cystoscopy rates among women (coefficient of variation 27.5 vs 23.5, P = .010). When restricting to ICD-9 codes for hematuria only, women continued to demonstrate greater variation in cystoscopy rates (coefficient of variation 27.8 vs 24.2, P = .022). Findings were robust across larger HRR sizes-thereby removing some random variation seen in smaller HRRs-as well as across years 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013., Conclusion: Cystoscopy rates are lower in women than men, likely due to their lower bladder cancer incidence. However, there is greater variation in cystoscopy rates among women with symptoms of bladder cancer. This may reflect increased provider uncertainty whether to refer and work-up women with suspected bladder cancer., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objective: To examine discomfort, anxiety, and preferences for decision making in patients undergoing surveillance cystoscopy for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC)., Methods: Veterans with a prior diagnosis of NMIBC completed validated survey instruments assessing procedural discomfort, worry, and satisfaction, and were invited to participate in semistructured focus groups about their experience and desire to be involved in surveillance decision making. Focus group transcripts were analyzed qualitatively, using (1) systematic iterative coding, (2) triangulation involving multiple perspectives from urologists and an implementation scientist, and (3) searching and accounting for disconfirming evidence., Results: Twelve patients participated in 3 focus groups. Median number of lifetime cystoscopy procedures was 6.5 (interquartile range 4-10). Based on survey responses, two-thirds of participants (64%) experienced some degree of procedural discomfort or worry, and all participants reported improvement in at least 2 dimensions of overall well-being following cystoscopy. Qualitative analysis of the focus groups indicated that participants experience preprocedural anxiety and worry about their disease. Although many participants did not perceive themselves as having a defined role in decision making surrounding their surveillance care, their preferences to be involved in decision making varied widely, ranging from acceptance of the physician's recommendation, to uncertainty, to dissatisfaction with not being involved more in determining the intensity of surveillance care., Conclusion: Many patients with NMIBC experience discomfort, anxiety, and worry related to disease progression and not only cystoscopy. Although some patients are content to defer surveillance decisions to their physicians, others prefer to be more involved. Future work should focus on defining patient-centered approaches to surveillance decision making., (Published by Elsevier Inc.)