Shorter intervals between radical cystectomy (RC) for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder and disease recurrence are associated with an increased risk of cancer-related death, as is the presence of common clinical and pathologic factors, according to a study.

Of 1,545 patients who experienced disease recurrence following RC and bilateral lymphadenectomy, 1,254 died from urothelial carcinoma of the bladder and 47 died from other causes. The median cancer-specific survival (CSS) time after recurrence was 6.9 months. The actuarial CSS estimate at 12 months after recurrence was 32%, researchers led by Shahrohk F. Shariat, MD, of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, reported online in BJU International.

In a multivariable analysis, the presence of non-organ-confined tumor stages, lymph node metastases, and positive soft tissue surgical margins increased the risk of cancer-specific mortality by 38%, 25%, and 32%, respectively. Female gender was associated with a 21% increased risk. The adjusted risk of cancer-related death within one year after recurrence for patients who recurred 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery was 70%, 64%, and 60%, respectively, according to the study.


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Advanced age also was associated with an increased risk of cancer-related death.