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INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE:Herein we describe our experience in development of a mobile health app to address metabolic and cognitive effects for men treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT)...

Background Prostate cancer ranks among the top 5 cancers in contribution to national expenditures. Previous reports have identified that 5% of the population accounts for 50% of the nation's annual health care spending. To date, the assessment of the top 5% resource-patients among men diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) has never been performed. We investigate the determinants and health care utilization of high resource-patients diagnosed with PCa using a population-based cohort using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Medicare-linked database. Methods Men aged ≥66-year-old with a primary diagnosis of PCa in 2009 were identified. High resource spenders were defined as the top 5% of the sum of the total cost incurred for all services rendered per beneficiary. The spending in each group and predictors of being a high resource-patient were assessed. Results The top 5% resource-patients consisted of 646 men who spent a total of $62,474,504, comprising 26% of the total cost incurred for all 12,875 men who were diagnosed with PCa in 2009. Of the top 5% resource-patients, the average amount spent per patient was $96,710 vs. $14,664 among the bottom 95% resource-patients. In adjusted analyses, older (odds ratio [OR]: 1.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00–1.03), Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥2 (OR: 3.78, 95% CI: 3.10–4.60) men, and advanced disease (metastasis OR: 2.29, 95% CI: 1.68–3.11) were predictors of being a top 5% resource-patient. Of these patients, 210 men died within 1 year of PCa diagnosis (32.5%) vs. 606 men of the bottom 95% resource-patients (5.0%, P Conclusion Five percent of men diagnosed with PCa bore 26% of the total cost incurred for all men diagnosed with the disease in 2009. Multimorbidity and advanced disease stage represent the primary drivers of being a high-resource PCa patient. Multidisciplinary care and shared decision-making is encouraged for such patients to better manage cost and quality of care.

In this study, we sought to describe the contemporary trends in utilization of neoadjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). As a secondary endpoint, we assessed the community-level effect of neoadjuvant ADT on positive surgical margins after radical prostatectomy (RP). Using the National Cancer Database (2004–2014), we identified patients with clinically localized prostate cancer (PCa) [cT1-4N0M0] treated with RP. The estimated annual percentage change (EAPC) mixed linear regression methodology was used for temporal trend analysis of neoadjuvant ADT. Observed differences in baseline characteristics between patients treated with neoadjuvant ADT versus those who were not were then controlled for using an inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) approach. IPTW-adjusted analyses were then performed to examine the odds of positive surgical margins. Overall, 8184 (2.12%) and 377,843 (97.88%) individuals with PCa were treated with neoadjuvant ADT prior to RP versus RP only, respectively. There was a consistent trend in decreasing use of neoadjuvant ADT over time, with a nadir observed in 2011 [EAPC − 8.08; 95% confidence interval (CI) − 11.7 to − 4.32; p

Introduction Given the ongoing controversies regarding its benefit, prostate specific antigen based prostate cancer screening should be offered with patient preferences in mind. Understanding subsets of men who may or may not choose prostate specific antigen screening and their associated characteristics may allow more efficient care and may identify subsets of patients for whom additional counseling is warranted. Methods We analyzed male participants from the 2001 to 2010 cycles of the NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) who were 40 years old or older, and without a history of prostate cancer, recent prostate manipulation or hormone therapy use (8,133). All men were given an opportunity to undergo or refuse prostate specific antigen testing after a standardized explanation about prostate cancer screening from a physician. Univariable and multivariable logistic regressions were conducted after adjusting for survey weights to identify independent sociodemographic and clinical predictors for opting out of prostate specific antigen testing. Results A total of 7,732 men met the inclusion criteria. Overall 95.64% of the study cohort elected to undergo prostate specific antigen testing. The odds of declining prostate specific antigen testing were significantly higher in men 80 years old or older (OR 1.78, p=0.008), black men (OR 3.23, p Conclusions In the setting of the NHANES program, between 2001 and 2010 the majority of men who were offered prostate cancer screening underwent prostate specific antigen testing. Black men, a subgroup subject to more aggressive prostate cancer, were more likely to refuse prostate specific antigen testing.

Introduction Monopolar transurethral resection is the conventional surgical standard of care for bladder outlet obstruction due to benign prostatic enlargement. Bipolar resection and GreenLight™ photovaporization have emerged as options with favorable safety profiles. The literature comparing these modalities is limited by sample size and absence of cost data. We compared costs and short-term safety of monopolar, bipolar and laser vaporization techniques in an all-payer inpatient discharge database. Methods A total of 20,323 men 40 to 80 years old with a diagnosis of benign prostatic hyperplasia who underwent an outlet procedure between 2003 and 2013 were identified in the Premier Research Database. Using propensity weighted logistic regression we assessed treatment trends and perioperative safety outcomes. Results Monopolar resection remained the most commonly performed procedure between 2003 and 2013. However, its use decreased by 20% (p 0.99), length of stay (p=0.82) and 90-day complication rates (p=0.34), GreenLight photovaporization was associated with prolonged operative time (+12 minutes, 95% CI 10.25 to 13.75, p Conclusions We found a modest perioperative safety benefit with bipolar resection and GreenLight photovaporization relative to monopolar resection. However, both procedures were associated with higher costs.

Androgen deprivation therapy is associated with the development of diabetes and metabolic syndrome. To our knowledge its effect on the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, a condition which frequently co-occurs with metabolic syndrome and other subsequent liver conditions such as liver cirrhosis, hepatic necrosis or any liver disease, has not been investigated.We identified 82,938 men 66 years old or older who were diagnosed with localized prostate cancer in the SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results)-Medicare database from 1992 to 2009. Men with preexisting nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, liver disease, diabetes or metabolic syndrome were excluded from study. Propensity score adjusted, competing risk regression models were created to compare the risk of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in men who were vs were not treated with androgen deprivation. We also explored the influence of cumulative exposure to androgen deprivation therapy, calculated as monthly equivalent doses of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists/antagonists (fewer than 7, 7 to 11 or more than 11 doses).Overall 37.5% of men underwent androgen deprivation therapy. They were more likely to be diagnosed with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.40-1.68), liver cirrhosis (HR 1.35, 95% CI 1.12-1.60), liver necrosis (HR 1.41, 95% CI 1.15-1.72) and any liver disease (HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.35-1.60). A dose-response relationship was observed between the number of androgen deprivation therapy doses, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and any liver disease.Androgen deprivation therapy in men with prostate cancer is associated with the diagnosis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. The usual limitations of an observational study design apply, including possible inaccuracy in defining outcomes in a population based registry.

Racial differences in prostate cancer (PCa) outcomes in the United States may be due to differences in tumor biology and race-based differences in access and treatment. We designed a study to estimate the relative contribution of these factors on Black/White disparities in overall survival (OS) in advanced PCa. We identified Black and White men aged ≥ 40 years with metastatic or locally advanced PCa (cN+ cM+ and/or T3/4) between 2004 and 2010 using the National Cancer Database. We employed sequential propensity score weighting procedures to generate simulated cohorts of Black and White patients with equal demographics, access to care, treatment, and tumor characteristics. Adjusted survival analyses were used to compare survival in these simulated cohorts. The changes in relative survival after each weighting procedure were used to infer the contribution of each set of variables on the excess risk of mortality in Blacks. In total, 35,611 men met inclusion criteria, 5927 (16.77%) of whom were Black. Survival was significantly worse for Black men after adjusting for demographics and comorbidities (hazard ratio (HR) 1.27, 95%-confidence interval (95%-CI) 1.2–1.34, p

Use of androgen deprivation therapy may increase the risk of cognitive impairment in men with prostate cancer. We performed a systematic review of the risk of overall cognitive impairment as an outcome in men receiving androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer.Studies were identified through PubMed®, MEDLINE®, PsycINFO®, Cochrane Library and Web of Knowledge/Science™. Articles were included if they 1) were published in English, 2) had subjects treated for prostate cancer with androgen deprivation therapy, 3) incorporated longitudinal comparisons and 4) used control groups. In addition, prospective studies were required to assess an established cognitive related end point using International Cognition and Cancer Task Force criteria defining impaired cognitive performance as scoring 1.5 or more standard deviations below published norms on 2 or more tests, or scoring 2.0 or more standard deviations below published norms on at least 1 test. The effect of androgen deprivation therapy on cognitive impairment was pooled using a random effects model.Of 221 abstracts 26 were selected for full text review, and 2 prospective and 4 retrospective studies were analyzed. Androgen deprivation therapy was not associated with overall cognitive impairment when the prospective cohort studies were pooled (OR 1.57, 95% CI 0.50 to 4.92, p = 0.44) with significant heterogeneity between estimates (IAnalyses between overall cognitive impairment and use of androgen deprivation therapy defined according to International Cognition and Cancer Task Force criteria in a pooled analysis were inconclusive. In retrospective cohort studies the risk of overall cognitive impairment after androgen deprivation therapy was not significant. Better prospective studies need to be designed for the assessment of this end point.

Background The use of secondary data, such as claims or administrative data, in comparative effectiveness research has grown tremendously in recent years. Purpose We believe that the current review can help investigators relying on secondary data to (1) gain insight into both the methodologies and statistical methods, (2) better understand the necessity of a rigorous planning before initiating a comparative effectiveness investigation, and (3) optimize the quality of their investigations. Main Findings Specifically, we review concepts of adjusted analyses and confounders, methods of propensity score analyses, and instrumental variable analyses, risk prediction models (logistic and time-to-event), decision-curve analysis, as well as the interpretation of the P value and hypothesis testing. Conclusions Overall, we hope that the current review article can help research investigators relying on secondary data to perform comparative effectiveness research better understand the necessity of a rigorous planning before study start, and gain better insight in the choice of statistical methods so as to optimize the quality of the research study.

Background The gap in prostate cancer (PCa) survival between Blacks and Whites has widened over the past decade. Investigators hypothesize that this disparity may be partially attributable to differences in rates of definitive therapy between races. Objective To examine facility level variation in the use of definitive therapy among Black and White men for localized PCa. Design, setting, and participants Using data from the National Cancer Data Base, we identified 223 873 White and 59 262 Black men ≥40 yr of age receiving care within the USA with biopsy confirmed localized intermediate/high-risk PCa diagnosed between January 2004 and December 2013. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis Multilevel logistic regression was fitted to predict the odds of receiving definitive therapy for PCa. Sensitivity and subgroup analyses were performed to adjust for inherent patient and facility-level differences when appropriate. Results and limitations Eighty-three percent ( n =185 647) of White men received definitive therapy compared with 74% ( n =43 662) of Black men between 2004 and 2013. Overall rates of definitive therapy during that time increased for both White (81% vs 83%, p p =0.001) men. However, 39% of treating facilities demonstrated significantly higher rates of definitive therapy in White men, compared with just 1% favoring Black men. Our study is limited by potential selection bias and effect modification. Conclusions After adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical factors, we found that most facilities favored definitive therapy in Whites. Health care providers should be aware of these inherit biases when counseling patients on treatment options for localized PCa. Our study is limited by the retrospective nature of the cohort. Patient summary We found significant differences in rates of radiation and surgical treatment for prostate cancer among White and Black men, with most facilities favoring Whites. Nonclinical factors such as treatment facility type and location influenced rates of therapy.

Radical cystectomy (RC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (BCa) has potential for serious complications, prolonged length of stay and readmissions-all of which may increase costs. Although variations in outcomes are well described, less is known about determinants driving variation in costs.To assess surgeon- and hospital-level variations in costs and predictors of high- and low-cost RC.Cohort study of 23 173 patients who underwent RC for BCa in 208 hospitals in the USA from 2003 to 2015 in the Premier Healthcare Database.Ninety-day direct hospital costs; multilevel hierarchal linear models were constructed to evaluate contributions of each variable to costs.Mean 90-d direct hospital costs per RC was $39 651 (standard deviation $34 427), of which index hospitalization accounted for 87.8% ($34 803) and postdischarge readmission(s) accounted for 12.2% ($4847). Postoperative complications contributed most to cost variations (84.5%), followed by patient (49.8%; eg, Charlson Comorbidity Index [CCI], 40.5%), surgical (33.2%; eg, year of surgery [25.0%]), and hospital characteristics (8.0%). Patients who suffered minor complications (odds ratio [OR] 2.63, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.03-3.40), nonfatal major complications (OR 12.7, 95% CI: 9.63-16.8), and mortality (OR 13.5, 95% CI: 9.35-19.4, all p0.001) were significantly associated with high costs. As for low-cost surgery, sicker patients (CCI=2: OR 0.41, 95% CI: 0.29-0.59; CCI=1: OR 0.58, 95% CI: 0.46-0.75, both p0.001), those who underwent continent diversion (vs incontinent diversion: OR 0.29, 95% CI: 0.16-0.53, p0.001), and earlier period of surgery were inversely associated with low costs.This study provides insight into the determinants of costs for RC. Postoperative morbidity, patient comorbidities, and year of surgery contributed most to observed variations in costs, while other hospital- and surgical-related characteristics such as volume, use of robot assistance, and type of urinary diversion contribute less to outlier costs.Efforts to address high surgical cost must be tailored to specific determinants of high and low costs for each operation. In contrast to robot-assisted radical prostatectomy where surgeon factors predominate, high costs in radical cystectomy were primarily determined by postoperative complication and patient comorbidities.

Objectives To assess the association of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) with thromboembolism, cardiovascular disease (stroke, coronary artery disease and heart failure) and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Methods A cohort of 3 422 male US military service members, retirees and their dependents, aged 40-64 years, was identified, who were prescribed TRT between 2006 and 2010 for low testosterone levels. The men in this cohort were matched on a 1:1 basis for age and comorbidities to men without a prescription for TRT. Event-free survival and rates of thromboembolism, cardiovascular events and OSA were compared between men using TRT and the control group, with a median follow-up of 17 months. Results There was no difference in event-free survival with regard to thromboembolism (P = 0.239). Relative to controls, men using TRT had improved cardiovascular event-free survival (P = 0.004), mainly as a result of lower incidence of coronary artery disease (P = 0.008). The risk of OSA was higher in TRT users (2-year risk 16.5% [95% confidence interval 15.1-18.1] in the TRT group vs 12.7% [11.4-14.1] in the control group. Conclusions This study adds to growing evidence that the cardiovascular risk associated with TRT may be lower than once feared. The elevated risk of OSA in men using TRT is noteworthy.

Purpose: Fee for service reimbursement incentives may affect care. We compared the odds of prostate specific antigen screening among former and active duty United States military service members based on receipt of primary care from integrated military health facilities vs community providers reimbursed via fee for service.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively studied the records of all active duty and retired male service members 40 to 64 years old who were covered by the TRICARE® military health benefit in 2010. Beneficiaries may receive primary care at military run facilities via the direct care system or with private physicians via the purchased care system. We compared rates of prostate specific antigen screening between propensity score weighted cohorts of 219,290 men who received primary care in the direct care system and 177,748 who received it in the purchased care system.Results: The screening rate was 35% in the direct care system vs 26% in the purchased care system. After propensity score ...

Given the lack of randomized evidence comparing trimodal therapy (TMT) to radical cystectomy (RC) for muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB), we performed an observational cohort study to examine the comparative effectiveness of these two definitive treatments. Within the National Cancer Data Base (2004-2011),we identified 1257 (9.8%) and 11 586 (90.2%) patients who received TMT and RC, respectively. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW)-adjusted Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that median overall survival (OS) was similar between the TMT (40 mo, 95% confidence interval [CI] 34-46) and RC groups (43 mo 95% CI 41-45; p=0.3). In IPTW-adjusted Cox regression analysis with a time-varying covariate, TMT was associated with a significant adverse impact on long-term OS (hazard ratio 1.37, 95% CI 1.16-1.59; p0.001). Interaction terms indicated that the adverse treatment effect of TMT versus RC decreased with age (p=0.004), while there was no significant interaction with gender (p=0.6), Charlson comorbidity index (p=0.09) or cT stage (p=0.8). In conclusion, we found that TMT was generally associated with worse long-term OS compared to RC for muscle-invasive UCB. However, the survival benefit of RC should be weighed against the risks of surgery, especially in older patients. These results are preliminary and emphasize the need for a randomized controlled trial to compare TMT versus RC.We examined the comparative effectiveness of trimodal therapy versus radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. We found that trimodal therapy was generally associated with worse long-term overall survival, although there may be no difference with radical cystectomy in older individuals.

BACKGROUND This study assessed the use of active surveillance in men with low-risk prostate cancer and evaluated institutional factors associated with the receipt of active surveillance. METHODS A retrospective, hospital-based cohort of 115,208 men with low-risk prostate cancer diagnosed between 2010 and 2014 was used. Multivariate and mixed effects models were used to examine variation and factors associated with active surveillance. RESULTS During the study period, the use of active surveillance increased from 6.8% in 2010 to 19.9% in 2014 (estimated annual percentage change, +28.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI], + 19.6% to + 38.7%; P = .002). The adjusted probability of active-surveillance receipt by institution was highly variable. Compared with patients treated at comprehensive community cancer centers, patients treated at community cancer programs (odds ratio [OR], 2.00; 95% CI, 1.50-2.67; P

Introduction Cystectomy is a first line treatment for muscle invasive bladder cancer and a last resort option for several benign bladder conditions. It is currently unknown how the perioperative outcomes of cystectomy for cancer differ from those of cystectomy for benign conditions. Methods Using the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database we extracted data on cystectomy between 2006 and 2013. Bivariate comparison of baseline characteristics was performed and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the effect of cystectomy indication on 30-day outcomes. Results Overall 3,166 and 248 cystectomies were performed for cancer and benign conditions, respectively. Patients in the noncancer group were younger (median age 62.5 vs 70.0 years), had worse American Society of Anesthesiologists scores (3-4, 81.5% vs 73.8%) and functional health status (19.0% vs 1.6%), and more frequently had preoperative sepsis (3.2% vs 1.1%) and paresis (4.8% vs 0.3%) compared to patients in the cancer group (all values p ≤0.013). On adjusted analyses patients without cancer were more likely to experience prolonged length of stay (OR 2.14, 95% CI 1.60–2.86) and to be discharged to a special care facility (OR 3.08, 95% CI 2.13–4.47) compared to patients with cancer (all values p Conclusions Cystectomy performed for benign conditions is associated with higher odds of prolonged length of stay and adverse discharge disposition, which may be the result of worse baseline functional status and comorbid conditions. Adapting postoperative pathways after cystectomy in consideration of patients’ baseline characteristics might be one approach to mitigate such outcome differences.

BACKGROUND Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in pure urothelial bladder cancer provides a significant survival benefit. However, to the authors' knowledge, it is unknown whether this benefit persists in histological variants. The objective of the current study was to assess the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on the probability of non-organ-confined disease and overall survival after radical cystectomy (RC) in patients with histological variants. METHODS Querying the National Cancer Data Base, the authors identified 2018 patients with histological variants who were undergoing RC for bladder cancer between 2003 and 2012. Variants were categorized as micropapillary or sarcomatoid differentiation, squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, neuroendocrine tumors, and other histology. Logistic regression models estimated the odds of non-organ-confined disease at the time of RC for each histological variant, stratified by the receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Cox regression models were used to examine the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on overall mortality in each variant subgroup. RESULTS Patients with neuroendocrine tumors (odds ratio [OR], 0.16; 95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.08-0.32 [P

The incidence of localized renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has been steadily increasing, in large part because of the increased use of imaging. Optimizing the management of localized RCC has become one of the leading priorities and foremost challenges within the urologic-oncologic community. Adequate risk stratification of patients following the diagnosis of localized RCC has become meaningful in deciding whether to treat, how to treat, and how intensively to treat. This article characterizes the existing risk assessment models that can be useful as treatment decision aids for patients with localized RCC.

Introduction Controversy surrounds prostate specific antigen screening following the 2012 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force grade D recommendation. There is limited evidence evaluating patterns of prostate specific antigen counseling and patient perceptions of the prostate specific antigen test since 2012. We evaluated the association between prostate cancer screening counseling and patient sociodemographic factors in a nationally representative sample.

Die radikale Nephroureterektomie (RNU) ist derzeit Standard bei der Behandlung von Urothelkarzinomen des oberen Harntrakts. Aufgrund des besseren onkologischen Outcomes sollte aber die distale Ureterektomie (DU) Mittel der ersten Wahl sein. Zu diesem Schluss kommen Seisen et al., die 3 verschiedene Operationsmethoden verglichen haben.

Background Local tumour ablation (LTA) may yield better perioperative outcomes than partial nephrectomy (PN), however the impact of each treatment on perioperative mortality and health care expenditures is unknown. The aim of the study was to compare mortality, morbidity and health care expenditures between LTA and PN. Patients and methods A population-based assessment of 2471 patients with cT1a kidney cancer treated with either LTA or PN, between 2000 and 2009, in the SEER-Medicare database was performed. After propensity score matching, 30-day mortality, overall and specific complication rates, length of stay, readmission rates and health care expenditures according to LTA or PN were estimated. Multivariable logistic and linear models addressed the effect of each specific LTA approach on overall complication rates, length of stay, readmission rates and health care expenditures. Results The 30-day mortality was

Purpose There is limited evidence to support the use of adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). Against this backdrop, we hypothesized that such treatment is associated with overall survival (OS) benefit in patients with locally advanced and/or positive regional lymph node disease. Patients and Methods Within the National Cancer Database (2004 to 2012), we identified 3,253 individuals who received AC or observation after RNU for pT3/T4 and/or pN+ UTUC. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) –adjusted Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to compare OS of patients in the two treatment groups. In addition, we performed exploratory analyses of treatment effect according to age, gender, Charlson comorbidity index, pathologic stage (pT3/T4N0, pT3/T4Nx and pTanyN+), and surgical margin status. Results Overall, 762 (23.42%) and 2,491 (76.58%) patients with pT3/T4 and/or pN+ UTUC received AC and observation, respectively, after RNU. IPTW-adjusted Kaplan-Meier curves showed that median OS was significantly longer for AC versus observation (47.41 [interquartile range,19.88 to 112.39] v 35.78 [interquartile range, 14.09 to 99.22] months; P < .001). The 5-year IPTW-adjusted rates of OS for AC versus observation were 43.90% and 35.85%, respectively. In IPTW-adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, AC was associated with a significant OS benefit (hazard ratio, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.68 to 0.88]; P < .001). This benefit was consistent across all subgroups examined (all P < .05), and no significant heterogeneity of treatment effect was observed (all Pinteraction > .05). Conclusion We report an OS benefit in patients who received AC versus observation after RNU for pT3/T4 and/or pN+ UTUC. Although our results are limited by the usual biases related to the observational study design, we believe that the present findings should be considered when advising post-RNU management of advanced UTUC, pending level I evidence.

Purpose An adequate pelvic lymph node dissection (LND) during radical cystectomy (RC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (BCa) has been shown to provide a survival benefit. We designed a study to assess the effect of adequate LND on overall survival (OS) according to cT stage and receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Material and methods We identified 16,505 patients with localized BCa who received RC in the National Cancer Database (2004–2012). Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW)-adjusted Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were used to compare OS between patients who received adequate LND (defined as ≥10 nodes removed) and those who did not, stratified by cT stage and receipt of NAC. Results Overall 8,673 (52.55%) patients underwent adequate LND at RC for localized BCa. Median time to last follow-up was 55.49 months (IQR, 34.73–75.96 months). IPTW-adjusted Kaplan-Meier curves showed that median OS was improved in patients who received adequate LND (60.06 vs. 46.88 months). In patients who did not receive NAC, adequate LND was associated with an OS benefit for cT1/a/cis, cT2, and cT3/4 disease ( P ≤ 0.008). Among patients who received NAC, adequate LND was not associated with any OS difference regardless of cT stage. Conclusion Our data suggest that patients who did not receive NAC benefit from an adequate LND. However, the receipt of an adequate LND was not associated with an OS benefit in patients pretreated with NAC. Our study indicates that the receipt of NAC may eradicate micrometastatic disease, and thus limit the benefit of an adequate LND.

The ethical and economic discussions regarding the extreme costs of many new cancer therapies are familiar. The authors have long held that changes in cancer care delivery also are an important strategy, yielding large benefits at potentially far lower costs. To put this into context, the authors performed an analysis to compare the overall survival of patients receiving a complex oncologic surgery, radical cystectomy, at high-volume and low-volume centers. Propensity score weighting was performed to simulate random allocation into high-volume versus low-volume centers, as would be the case in a prospective trial. On average, patients undergoing surgery at high-volume centers survived 15 months longer than those treated at low-volume centers (57.0 months vs 41.8 months). Although there certainly are caveats in contrasting the survival benefit of different care settings with anticancer agents, this differential clearly rivals or exceeds the benefit of many expensive, recently approved agents. As the debate regarding the costs of cancer therapies continues, it is worth remembering that investments in simple systems-based changes to improve cancer care delivery remain an important and likely cost-effective strategy with which to improve the survival of patients with cancer. Cancer 2018;124:1319-21. © 2018 American Cancer Society.

We aim to understand how Medicaid expansion under the ACA has affected utilization of surgical services.The State Inpatient Databases were used to compare utilization of a broad array of surgical procedures among nonelderly adults (aged 19-64 years) in a multistate population that experienced ACA-related Medicaid expansion to one that did not. We performed a difference-in-differences (DID) analysis to determine the effect of Medicaid expansion on utilization of surgical services from 2012 to 2014.There were 259,061 cases identified in the Medicaid expansion population and 261,269 in the control population. In the expansion group, there was a smaller decrease in utilization - by a margin of 21.68 cases per 100,000 individuals (p 0.001). Percent of surgical patients covered by Medicaid increased among the expansion group from 12.00% to 15.48% (DID = 3.93%; p 0.001).Year one of Medicaid expansion under the ACA was associated with a modest but statistically significant difference in utilization of surgical services as well as an increase in percent of surgery patients covered by Medicaid.

Evidence for androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and risk of dementia is both limited and mixed. We aimed to assess the association between ADT and risk of dementia among men with localized and locally advanced prostate cancer (PCa).We conducted a retrospective cohort study using SEER-Medicare-linked data among 100,414 men aged ≥ 66 years and diagnosed with localized and locally advanced PCa (cT1-cT4) between 1992 and 2009. We excluded men with a history of stroke, dementia, or use of psychiatric services. Men were followed until death or administrative end of follow-up at 36 months. Inverse-probability weighted Fine-Gray models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for Alzheimer's, all-cause dementia, and use of psychiatric services by duration of pharmacologic ADT (0, 1-6, and ≥ 7 months).Among 100,414 men with PCa (median age 73 [IQR: 69-77] years; 84% white, 10% black), 38% (n = 37,911) received ADT within 6 months of diagnosis. Receipt of any pharmacologic ADT was associated with a 17% higher risk of all-cause dementia (HR 1.17, 95% CI 1.07-1.27), 23% higher risk of Alzheimer's (HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.11-1.37), and 10% higher risk of psychiatric services use, though the confidence interval included the null (HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.00-1.22). Longer duration of ADT (≥7 months) was associated with a 25% higher risk of all-cause dementia, 34% higher risk of Alzheimer's, and 9% higher risk of psychiatric services, compared with no ADT.Our study supports an association between pharmacologic ADT and higher risk of all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's, and use of psychiatric services among men with localized and locally advanced PCa.

Early surgical resection remains the recommended treatment option for most small renal mass (≤4 cm). We examined the long-term overall survival (OS) of patients managed with delayed and immediate nephrectomy of cT1a renal cancer.We utilized the National Cancer Database (2005-2010) to identify 14,677 patients (immediate nephrectomy: 14,050 patients vs. late nephrectomy: 627 patients) aged70 years with Charlson Comorbidity Index 0 and cT1aN0M0 renal cell carcinoma. Immediate nephrectomy and late nephrectomy were defined as nephrectomy performed30 days and180 days from diagnosis, respectively. Inverse probability of treatment weighting-adjusted Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to compare OS of patients in the 2 treatment arms. Influence of patient age and Charlson Comorbidity Index on treatment effect was tested by interactions. Sensitivity analysis was performed to explore the outcome of delaying nephrectomy for12 months.Median patient age was 55 years with a median follow-up of 82.5 months. Inverse probability of treatment weighting-adjusted Kaplan-Meier curves suggest no significant difference between treatment arms (immediate nephrectomy [30 days] vs. delayed nephrectomy [180 days]) (Hazard ratio 0.96; 95% confidence interval 0.73-1.26; P = 0.77). This outcome was consistent between all patients regardless of age (P = 0.48). Sensitivity analysis reports no difference in OS even if nephrectomy was delayed by12 months (P = 0.60).We report that delayed and immediate nephrectomy for cT1a renal cell carcinoma confers comparable long-term OS. These findings suggest that a period of observation of between 6 and 12 months is safe to allow identification of renal masses, which will benefit from surgical resection.

PURPOSE: Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are a delivery and payment model designed to encourage integrated, high-value care. We designed a study to test the association between ACOs and two recommended cancer screening tests, colonoscopy for colorectal cancer and mammography for breast cancer. METHODS: Using the random 20% sample of Medicare claims, beneficiaries were attributed to ACO or non-ACO cohorts on the basis of providers’ enrollment in the Medicare Shared Savings Program. An inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to balance patient characteristics between ACO and non-ACO cohorts. A propensity score–weighted, difference-in-differences analysis was then performed using the same provider groups in 2010—pre-ACO—as a baseline. A secondary analysis for older—nonrecommended—age ranges was performed. RESULTS: Prevalence of colonoscopy in recommended age ranges in ACOs from 2010 to 2014 increased from 15.3% (95% CI, 14.9% to 15.6%) to 17.9% (95% CI, 17.3% to 18.5%). This differed significantly from the change in non-ACOs (difference in differences, 1.2%; P < .001). Among women in ACOs, mammography prevalence rose from 53.7% (95% CI, 53.0% to 54.4%) to 54.9% (95% CI, 54.2% to 55.7%). In contrast to colonoscopy, the difference in mammography prevalence was not significantly different in ACO versus non-ACOs (difference in differences, 0.49%; P < .13). A similar pattern was also observed in older—nonrecommended—age ranges with significant difference in differences (ACO v non-ACO) in colonoscopy, but not mammography. CONCLUSION: The impact of ACOs on cancer screening varies between screening tests. Our results are consistent with a greater effect of ACOs on high-cost, high-complexity screening services, which may be more sensitive to integrated care delivery models.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES:Current recommendations suggest that nephrectomy or thermal ablation is a recommended treatment option for small renal mass (≤4 cm). This study examined long-term overal...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES:There is limited epidemiological evidence for the association between androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and the risk of incident dementia, yet several studies show no s...

The tumor immune microenvironment plays a critical role in cancer progression and response to immunotherapy in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), yet the composition and phenotypic states of immune cells in this tumor are incompletely characterized. We performed single-cell RNA and T cell receptor sequencing (scRNA-seq/scTCR-seq) on 164,722 individual cells from tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissue in patients with ccRCC across disease stages – early, locally advanced, and advanced/metastatic. Terminally exhausted CD8(+) T cells were enriched in metastatic disease and were restricted in TCR diversity. Within the myeloid compartment, pro-inflammatory macrophages were decreased, and suppressive M2-like macrophages were increased in advanced disease. Terminally exhausted CD8(+) T cells and M2-like macrophages co-occurred in advanced disease and expressed ligands and receptors that support T cell dysfunction and M2-like polarization. This immune dysfunction circuit is associated with a worse prognosis in external cohorts and identifies potentially targetable immune inhibitory pathways in ccRCC.

Purpose The role of cytoreductive nephrectomy (CN) in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) has become unclear since the introduction of targeted therapies (TT). We sought to evaluate contemporary utilization rates of CN and to examine the survival benefit of CN compared with non-CN patients treated with TT. Methods We used the National Cancer Data Base to identify patients with clinical mRCC treated with TT between 2006 and 2013. The intervention of interest was CN. Multivariable logistic regression predicting receipt of CN was performed. Overall survival (OS) was examined using Cox regression models and incremental survival analyses were performed. Sensitivity analyses using propensity scores were conducted. Results Of 15,390 patients treated with TT, 5,374 (35%) underwent CN between 2006 and 2013. Patients who were younger, privately insured, treated at an academic center, and had lower tumor stage and cN0 disease were more likely to undergo CN. The median OS of CN versus non-CN patients was 17.1 (95% CI, 16.3 to 18.0 months) versus 7.7 months (95% CI, 7.4 to 7.9 months; P < .001). In sensitivity analyses using propensity scores adjustment in addition to other available covariates, CN patients had a lower risk of any death (hazard ratio, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.40 to 0.50; P < .001). The survival benefit of CN was +0.7 and +3.6 months in patients who survived ≤ 6 and ≤ 24 months, respectively, versus no CN. Conclusion CN is performed in three of 10 patients with mRCC who are receiving TT. Several patient and sociodemographic characteristics were associated with receipt of CN. When feasible, CN may offer an OS benefit when combined with TT.

Measuring procedure-specific complication-rate trends allows for benchmarking and improvement in quality of care but must be done in a standardized fashion.Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, we identified all instances of eight common inpatient urologic procedures performed in the United States between 2000 and 2010. This yielded 327218 cases including both oncologic and benign diseases. Complications were identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes. Each complication was cross-referenced to the procedure code and graded according to the standardized Clavien system.The Mann-Whitney and chi-square were used to assess the statistical significance of medians and proportions, respectively. We assessed temporal variability in the rates of overall complications (Clavien grade 1-4), length of hospital stay, and in-hospital mortality using the estimated annual percent change (EAPC) linear regression methodology.We observed an overall reduction in length of stay (EAPC: -1.59; p0.001), whereas mortality rates remained negligible and unchanged (EAPC: -0.32; p=0.83). Patient comorbidities increased significantly over the study period (EAPC: 2.09; p0.001), as did the rates of complications. Procedure-specific trends showed a significant increase in complications for inpatient ureterorenoscopy (EAPC: 5.53; p0.001), percutaneous nephrolithotomy (EAPC: 3.75; p0.001), radical cystectomy (EAPC: 1.37; p0.001), radical nephrectomy (EAPC: 1.35; p0.001), and partial nephrectomy (EAPC: 1.22; p=0.006). Limitations include lack of postdischarge follow-up data, lack of pathologic characteristics, and inability to adjust for secular changes in administrative coding.In the context of urologic care in the United States, our findings suggest a shift toward more complex oncologic procedures in the inpatient setting, with same-day procedures most likely shifted to the outpatient setting. Consequently, complications have increased for the majority of examined procedures; however, no change in mortality was found.This report evaluated the trends of urologic procedures and their complications. A significant shift toward sicker patients and more complex procedures in the inpatient setting was found, but this did not result in higher mortality. These results are indicators of the high quality of care for urologic procedures in the inpatient setting.

Objective To assess the national utilization of partial nephrectomy (PN) for T1a renal masses across different racial groups by hospital type. Although clinical guidelines recommend PN for small renal masses (SRMs), racial disparities persist in the use of PN. High-volume and academic hospitals have been associated with greater use of PN for SRMs. However, it is unknown whether racial disparities persist in the use of PN across different types of hospitals. Methods Using the National Cancer Database, we identified patients with localized T1a renal cancer (≤4 cm) from 1998 to 2011. The primary outcome was receipt of PN among patients surgically treated for SRMs. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess for racial differences in treatment with PN stratified by hospital characteristics. Results Among 118,207 patients diagnosed with clinical T1a renal masses, 36.5% underwent PN (n = 43,134). Overall, a greater proportion of white patients underwent PN (37.3%) compared with African-American (32.4%) and Hispanic (33.7%) patients with SRMs ( P P = .003) and academic (odds ratio: 0.65; P Conclusions In this population-based cohort, we found that racial disparities persist across all types of hospitals in the use of PN for SRMs. Further research is needed to identify, and target for intervention, the factors contributing to racial disparities in the surgical management of SRMs.

Current guidelines recommend local tumour ablation (LTA) over partial nephrectomy (PN) in nonsurgical candidates; however, objective definitions of these candidates are lacking.To identify specific patients who would benefit from LTA more than PN.A population-based assessment was performed of 2476 patients in the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare database who had cT1a kidney cancer treated with either LTA or PN, between 2000 and 2009.The outcome of the study was the relevant perioperative complications rate. A multivariable logistic regression model was fitted to predict the risk of complications after PN. Model-derived coefficients were used to calculate the risk of complication in case of PN among patients treated with LTA. Locally weighted scatterplot smoothing method was used to plot the observed complication rate against the predicted risk of complication in case of PN.At multivariable logistic regression, age (odds ratio [OR]: 1.04; p0.001), Charlson comorbidity index (OR: 1.14; p0.001), acute kidney injury (OR: 1.91; p=0.04), or chronic kidney disease (OR: 2.16; p=0.002), tumour size (OR: 1.02; p=0.01), and minimally invasive approach (OR: 0.77; p0.03) emerged as significant predictors of complications. When LTA was chosen over PN, the reduction in the risk of complications was greatest in high-risk patients, intermediate in intermediate-risk patients, and least in low-risk patients.When postoperative complications are evaluated, the benefit of choosing LTA is not the same in all patients diagnosed with T1a kidney cancer. Specifically, patients at high risk of complications in case of PN may benefit the most from LTA and represent ideal LTA candidates.Elderly patients at high risk of complications in case of surgical treatment with partial nephrectomy for kidney cancer should be instructed that local tumour ablation might decrease their perioperative morbidity.

5010 Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the PD-1 pathway have transformed the management of many advanced malignancies, including clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC), but the drivers and resistors of PD-1 response remain incompletely elucidated. Further, the common paradigm in solid tumor immunology that pre-existing CD8+ T cell infiltration, in combination with high numbers of nonsynonymous mutations (which, in the context of diverse HLA class I alleles, may be presented as neoantigens) drives response to PD-1 blockade, has not been thoroughly explored in ccRCC. Methods: We analyzed 592 tumors collected from advanced ccRCC patients enrolled in prospective clinical trials (CheckMate 009, CheckMate 010, CheckMate 025) of treatment with PD-1 blockade (n = 362) or mTOR inhibition (as control arm; n = 230) by whole-exome (n = 454) and RNA-sequencing (n = 311), integrated with CD8 immunofluorescence analysis (n = 219), to uncover the immunogenomic determinants of therapeutic response and survival. Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare somatic alteration burden between clinical benefit (CB) v.s no CB (NCB); Fisher’s exact test was used to compare mutations and copy number alteration by infiltration state; and hazard ratio (HR) was calculated from Cox PH model for progression-free (PFS) and overall survival (OS) endpoints. All tests were at a significance level of p < 0.05. Results: Conventional genomic markers (tumor mutation burden, p = 0.81; neoantigen load, p = 0.47 for CB vs. NCB) and degree of CD8+ T cell infiltration (p = 0.88 for PFS; p = 0.65 for OS) were not associated with clinical response or altered survival with PD-1 blockade. These advanced ccRCC tumors were highly CD8+ T cell infiltrated, with only 22% having an immune desert phenotype and 5% with an immune excluded phenotype. Our analysis revealed that CD8+ T cell infiltrated tumors are depleted of clinically favorable PBRM1 mutations (p = 0.013) and enriched for unfavorable chromosomal losses of 9p21.3 (p < 0.001) when compared to non-infiltrated tumors. When found within infiltrated tumors, del(9p21.3) was associated with worse CB rate (36% (9/25) for del(9p21.3) vs. 88% (7/8) for wildtype at that locus, p = 0.017) and worse survival (HR = 2.38, p = 0.01 for PFS; HR = 2.44, p = 0.01 for OS) with PD-1 blockade. Conclusions: These data demonstrate how the potential interplay of immunophenotypes with somatic mutations and chromosomal alterations impacts therapeutic efficacy in advanced ccRCC.

5023 Background: We previously showed that levels of CD8+ tumor infiltrating cells (TIC) expressing PD-1 but not TIM-3 and LAG-3 (CD8+ PD1+TIM3−LAG3−) were associated with response to nivolumab (nivo) in pretreated mccRCC pts (Pignon et al, 2019). Here, we sought to validate these findings in a randomized Phase III trial of nivo versus everolimus (evero) (CM-025) and explore the association of the biomarker with transcriptomic profiles. Methods: Tumor tissues from the CM-025 trial were analyzed (nivo arm: n = 116, evero arm: n = 107). Density/percentage of CD8+ PD1+TIM3−LAG3− TIC was evaluated by immunofluorescence (IF) and PD-L1 expression on tumor cells (TC) was evaluated by IHC. Linear association with outcomes was assessed using binary logistic (ORR, clinical benefit (CB) defined as CR/PR and PFS≥12 months) and Cox PH (PFS, OS) regression models (1-sided p-values shown). Bulk RNA-seq was performed in a subset of samples (n = 71) and data analyzed using ssGSEA and Gene Signature Scores (GSS). Results: In the nivo arm, density of CD8+ PD1+TIM3−LAG3− TIC (IF biomarker) was associated with ORR (OR = 1.43, p = 0.03) and CB (OR = 1.54, p = 0.02) while a trend was observed with PFS (HR = 0.87, p = 0.06). At an optimized cutoff, nivo treated pts with high IF biomarker (24/116, 20.7%) had higher ORR (45.8% vs 19.6%, p = 0.01) and CB (33.3% vs 14.1%, p = 0.03) and longer median PFS (9.6 vs 3.7 months, p = 0.03) than pts with low IF biomarker. A significant interaction between the IF biomarker and treatment was seen for both PFS and OS (2-sided p = 0.02 and 2-sided p = 0.08, respectively; significance determined as p < 0.15). By bulk RNA-seq, several inflammatory pathways (FDR q < 0.1) and inflammatory GSS (FDR q < 0.05) were enriched in the high IF biomarker group. When combined with the IF biomarker, TC PD-L1 expression (≥1%) further separated clinical outcomes (ORR, CB and PFS) in the nivo arm. In the evero arm, the IF biomarker was neither prognostic nor predictive of any clinical outcome. Conclusions: High levels of CD8+ PD1+TIM3−LAG3− TIC predicted response to nivo (but not to control evero) in mccRCC pts and were associated with activation of inflammatory response. Combination with TC PD-L1 further improved its predictive value, confirming our previous findings (Pignon et al, 2019). Further validation in the setting of first-line anti-PD-1 therapy is ongoing.

We investigated the quality of care at minority serving hospitals compared to other institutions for men with localized intermediate and high risk prostate cancer.Using the National Cancer Database we identified 536,539 men 40 years old or older who presented with localized intermediate and high risk prostate cancer in the United States between 2004 and 2015. Institutions were ranked according to the proportion of black and Hispanic patients treated at a given institution, and the top decile institutions were defined as minority serving hospitals. We used multivariable analyses to characterize the association between minority serving hospitals and 3 end points, including receipt of definitive treatment, time to definitive treatment and receipt of androgen deprivation therapy in young (65 years or younger) and healthy (no comorbidity) men treated with external beam radiation therapy.A total of 162 and 1,168 hospitals were defined as minority and nonminority serving hospitals, respectively. On multivariable analyses treatment at minority serving hospitals was associated with decreased odds of receiving definitive treatment (adjusted OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.62-0.85, p0.001). Adjusted mean ± SE time to treatment was significantly longer at minority serving hospitals compared to nonminority serving hospitals (4.9 ± 2.2 days, p = 0.024). Among young and healthy men there was no association between treatment at a minority serving hospital and receipt of androgen deprivation therapy in conjunction with external beam radiation (AOR 0.90, 95% CI 0.75-1.09, p = 0.291).Treatment at a minority serving hospital was associated with lower odds of receiving definitive therapy and longer time to definitive therapy for localized intermediate and high risk prostate cancer despite adjustment for race. This suggests that some racial disparities in prostate cancer may be explained by the sites at which racial and/or ethnic minorities receive care.

To assess whether Medicare expenditures for men with incident prostate cancer, treated in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) differ from those of men treated in non-ACOs.Using the 20% Medicare sample, total charges for 1 year following an initial diagnosis of prostate cancer were abstracted from Medicare claims. Prostate cancer expenditures were calculated by subtracting total charges from the year prior to diagnosis. Propensity score weighting was used to balance baseline characteristics of men treated in ACOs and non-ACOs, and between treatment modalities (radiation, prostatectomy, and expectant management). A propensity score weighted regression model was then used to estimate mean expenditures for men with prostate cancer treated in ACOs and non ACOs and to test the association between ACO status and costs.We identified 3297 men treated in ACOs for localized prostate cancer versus 24,088 in the non-ACO cohort. The weighted total charges for each treatment modality were $32,358 (radiation), $27,662 (prostatectomy), and $11,134 (expectant management). In our propensity score weighted regression model, the association between charges and ACO status was not significant, nor was the interaction between treatment type and costs. This was true both overall, and in a stratified analysis by treatment type.There was no significant difference in Medicare spending on prostate cancer care based on provider ACO affiliation, regardless of treatment type. Although the effects of ACOs on clinical care are complex, this study adds to a growing body of evidence suggesting that ACOs fail to achieve significantly lower charges in certain clinical settings.

Introduction: We aimed to assess the contemporary knowledge of human papillomavirus (HPV) and its association with penile cancer in a nationwide cohort from the U.S. Methods: We used the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), a cross-sectional telephone survey performed in the U.S. initiated by the National Cancer Institute. The most recent iteration, HINTS 4 Cycle 4, was conducted in mail format between August 19 and November 17, 2014. Primary endpoints included knowledge of HPV and its causal relationship to penile cancer. Baseline characteristics included sex, age, education, race and ethnicity, income, residency, personal or family history of cancer, health insurance status, and internet use. Multivariable logistic regression assessed predictors of HPV and penile cancer knowledge. Results: An unweighted sample of 3376 respondents was extracted from the HINTS 4, Cycle 4. Whereas 64.4% of respondents had heard of HPV, only 29.5% of these were aware that it could cause penile cancer. Men were significantly less likely to have heard of HPV than women (odds ratio [OR] 0.32; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.24–0.43). Older age; African-American, Asian, and “other race”; being married; from a lower education bracket; having a personal cancer history; and those without internet access were significantly less likely to have heard of HPV. None of our examined variables were independent predictors for the knowledge of the association of penile cancer and HPV. Conclusions: Our analysis of a large, nationally representative survey demonstrates that the majority of the American public is familiar with HPV, but lack a meaningful understanding between this virus and penile cancer. Primary care providers and specialists should be encouraged to intensify counselling about this significant association as a primary preventive measure of this potentially fatal disease.

Background Hospitals are increasingly being held responsible for their readmissions rates. The contribution of hospital versus patient factors (eg, case mix) to hospital readmissions is unknown. Objective To estimate the relative contribution of hospital and patient factors to readmissions after radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer. Design, setting, and participants We identified individuals who underwent RC in 2014 in the Nationwide Readmissions Database (NRD). The NRD is a nationally representative (USA), all-payer database that includes readmissions at index and nonindex hospitals. Survey weights were used to generate national estimates. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis The main outcome was readmission within 30 d after RC. Using a multilevel mixed-effects model, we estimated the statistical association between patient and hospital characteristics and readmission. A hospital-level random-effects term was used to estimate hospital-level readmission rates while holding patient characteristics constant. Results and limitations We identified a weighted sample of 7095 individuals who underwent RC at 341 hospitals in the USA. The 30-d readmission rate was 29.5% (95% confidence interval [CI] 27.8–31.2%), ranging from 1.4% (95% CI 0.6–2.2%) in the bottom quartile to 73.6% (95% CI 68.4–78.7) in the top. In our multilevel model, female sex and comorbidity score were associated with a higher likelihood of readmission. The hospital random-effects term, encompassing both measured and unmeasured hospital characteristics, contributed minimally to the model for readmission when patient characteristics were held constant at population mean values (pseudo-R2 Conclusions After adjusting for patient characteristics, hospital-level effects explained little of the large between-hospital variability in readmission rates. These findings underscore the limitations of using 30-d post-discharge readmissions as a hospital quality metric. Patient summary The chance of being readmitted after radical cystectomy varies substantially between hospitals. Little of this variability can be explained by hospital-level characteristics, while far more can be explained by patient characteristics and random variability.

Context Despite the improvement in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) diagnosis and management observed during the last 2 decades, RCC remains one of the most lethal urological malignancies. With the expansion of routine imaging for many disorders, an increasing number of patients who harbour RCC are identified incidentally. Objective To summarise and compare RCC incidence and mortality rates, analyse the magnitude of risk factors, and interpret these epidemiological observations in the context of screening and disease management. Evidence acquisition The primary objective of the current review was to retrieve and describe worldwide RCC incidence/mortality rates. Secondly, a narrative literature review about the magnitude of the known risk factors was performed. Finally, data retrieved from the first two steps were elaborated to define the clinical implications for RCC screening. Evidence synthesis RCC incidence and mortality significantly differ among individual countries and world regions. Potential RCC risk factors include behavioural and environmental factors, comorbidities, and analgesics. Smoking, obesity, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease represent established risk factors. Other factors have been associated with an increased RCC risk, although selection biases may be present and controversial results have been reported. Conclusions Incidence of RCC varies worldwide. Within the several RCC risk factors identified, smoking, obesity, and hypertension are most strongly associated with RCC. In individuals at a higher risk of RCC, the cost effectiveness of a screening programme needs to be assessed on a country-specific level due to geographic heterogeneity in incidence and mortality rates, costs, and management implications. Owing to the low rates of RCC, implementation of accurate biomarkers appears to be mandatory. Patient summary The probability of harbouring kidney cancer is higher in developed countries and among smokers, obese individuals, and individuals with hypertension.

BACKGROUND There are race-based differences in bladder cancer survival. To better understand this phenomenon, this study was designed to assess the statistical contributions of tumor, treatment, and access variables to race-based differences in survival. METHODS Data were extracted from the National Cancer Data Base on black and white adults with muscle-invasive bladder cancer from 2004 to 2015. The impact of tumor, access, and treatment variables on differences in survival was inferred by the performance of sequential propensity score-weighted analyses in which black and white patients were balanced with respect to demographics and health status (comorbidities) tumor characteristics, treatment, and access-related variables. The propensity score-weighted hazard of death (black vs white) was calculated after each iteration. RESULTS This study identified 44,577 patients with a median follow-up of 77 months. After demographics and health status were balanced, black race was associated with 18% worse mortality (hazard ratio, 1.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-1.25; P < .001). Balancing by tumor characteristics reduced this to 16%, balancing by treatment reduced this to 10%, and balancing by access-related variables resulted in no difference. Access-related variables explained 40% (95% CI, 22.9%-57.0%) of the excess risk of death in blacks, whereas treatment factors explained 35% (95% CI, 22.2%-46.9%). The contribution of tumor characteristics was not significant. CONCLUSIONS In the models, differences in survival for black and white patients with bladder cancer are best explained by disparities in access and treatment, not tumor characteristics. Access to care is likely a key factor in racial disparities in cancer.