Meera Chappidi

Frailty as a marker of adverse outcomes in patients with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy

OBJECTIVE To investigate the modified frailty index (mFI) as a preoperative predictor of postoperative complications following radical cystectomy (RC) in patients with bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients undergoing RC were identified from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program participant use files (2011-2013). The mFI was defined in prior studies with 11 variables based on mapping the Canadian Study of Health and Aging Frailty Index to the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program comorbidities and activities of daily livings. The mFI groups were determined by the number of risk factors per patient (0, 1, 2, and≥3). Univariable and multivariable regression were performed to determine predictors of Clavien 4 and 5 complications, and a sensitivity analysis was performed to determine the mFI value that would be a significant predictor of Clavien 4 and 5 complications. RESULTS Of the 2,679 cystectomy patients identified, 843 (31%) of patients had an mFI of 0, 1176 (44%) had an mFI of 1, 555 (21%) had an mFI of 2, and 105 (4%) had an mFI≥3. Overall, 1585 (59%) of patients experienced a Clavien complication. When stratified at a cutoff of mFI≥2, the overall complication rate was not different (61.7% vs. 58.3%, P = 0.1), but the mFI2 or greater group had a significantly higher rate of Clavien grade 4 or 5 complications (14.6% vs. 8.3%, P<0.001) and overall mortality rate (3.5% vs. 1.8%, P = 0.01) in the 30-day postoperative period. The multivariate logistic regression model showed independent predictors of Clavien grade 4 or 5 complications were age>80 years (odds ratio [OR] = 1.58 [1.11-2.27]), mFI2 (OR = 1.84 [1.28-2.64]), and mFI3 (OR = 2.58 [1.47-4.55]). CONCLUSIONS Among patients undergoing RC, the mFI can identify those patients at greatest risk for severe complications and mortality. Given that bladder cancer is increasing in prevalence particularly among the elderly, preoperative risk stratification is crucial to inform decision-making about surgical candidacy.

Quantifying Nonindex Hospital Readmissions and Care Fragmentation after Major Urological Oncology Surgeries in a Nationally Representative Sample

Purpose: We quantified the underestimation of hospital readmission rates that can occur with institutional databases and the incidence of care fragmentation among patients undergoing urological oncology procedures in a nationally representative database. Materials and Methods: The 2013 Nationwide Readmissions Database was queried for patients undergoing prostatectomy, cystectomy, nephroureterectomy, nephrectomy, partial nephrectomy and retroperitoneal lymph node dissection for urological malignancies. Nationally representative 30 and 90‐day readmission and care fragmentation rates were calculated for all procedures. Readmission rates with and without nonindex hospital readmissions were compared with Pearson’s chi‐square test. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify predictors of care fragmentation at 90‐day followup. Results: For all surgical procedures readmission rates were consistently underestimated by 17% to 29% at 90‐day followup. The rates of care fragmentation among readmitted patients were similar for all procedures, ranging from 24% to 34% at 90‐day followup. Overall 1 in 4 readmitted patients would not be captured in institutional databases and 1 in 3 readmitted patients experienced care fragmentation. Multivariable models did not identify a predictor of care fragmentation that was consistent across all procedures. Conclusions: The high rate of underestimation of readmission rates across all urological oncology procedures highlights the importance of linking institutional and payer claims databases to provide more accurate estimates of perioperative outcomes and health care utilization. The high rate of care fragmentation across all procedures emphasizes the need for future efforts to understand the clinical relevance of care fragmentation in patients with urological malignancies, and to identify patients at risk along with potentially modifiable risk factors for care fragmentation.

Use of the Prostate Health Index for detection of prostate cancer: results from a large academic practice

Background:The Prostate Health Index (phi) outperforms PSA and other PSA derivatives for the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa). The impact of phi testing in the real-world clinical setting has not been previously assessed.Methods:In a single, large, academic center, phi was tested in 345 patients presenting for diagnostic evaluation for PCa. Findings on prostate biopsy (including Grade Group (GG), defined as GG1: Gleason score (GS) 6, GG2: GS 3+4=7, GG3: GS 4+3=7, GG4: GS 8 and GG5: GS 9–10), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and radical prostatectomy (RP) were prospectively recorded. Biopsy rates and outcomes were compared with a contemporary cohort that did not undergo phi testing (n=1318).Results:Overall, 39% of men with phi testing underwent prostate biopsy. No men with phi<19.6 were diagnosed with PCa, and only three men with phi<27 had cancer of GG⩾2. Phi was superior to PSA for the prediction of any PCa (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) 0.72 vs 0.47) and GG⩾2 PCa (AUC 0.77 vs 0.53) on prostate biopsy. Among men undergoing MRI and phi, no men with phi<27 and PI-RADS⩽3 had GG⩾2 cancer. For those men proceeding to RP, increasing phi was associated with higher pathologic GG (P=0.002) and stage (P=0.001). Compared with patients who did not undergo phi testing, the use of phi was associated with a 9% reduction in the rate of prostate biopsy (39% vs 48%; P<0.001). Importantly, the reduction in biopsy among the phi population was secondary to decreased incidence of negative (8%) and GG1 (1%) biopsies, whereas the proportion of biopsies detecting GG⩾2 cancers remained unchanged.Conclusions:In this large, real-time clinical experience, phi outperformed PSA alone, was associated with high-grade PCa, and provided complementary information to MRI. Incorporation of phi into clinical practice reduced the rate of unnecessary biopsies without changing the frequency of detection of higher-grade cancers.

Causes, Timing, Hospital Costs and Perioperative Outcomes of Index vs Nonindex Hospital Readmissions after Radical Cystectomy: Implications for Regionalization of Care

Purpose: We compared the timing, causes, hospital costs and perioperative outcomes of index vs nonindex hospital readmissions after radical cystectomy. Materials and Methods: The 2013 Nationwide Readmissions Database was queried for patients with bladder cancer undergoing cystectomy. Sociodemographic characteristics, hospital costs and causes of readmission were compared among index and nonindex readmitted patients. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression models were used to identify predictors of nonindex readmissions, mortality during the first readmission and subsequent readmission. Results: Among 4,991 patients identified 29% (1,447) and 11% (571) experienced an index and nonindex readmission, respectively. Compared to index readmissions, nonindex readmissions were more likely late readmissions (p <0.001) of older patients (p=0.047) who underwent cystectomy at higher volume hospitals (p=0.02) and were readmitted to hospitals located in less populated areas (p <0.001). Compared to index readmissions the percentage of nonindex readmissions for cardiovascular complications was higher (7.6% vs 2.9%, p=0.003), while the percentage of nonindex readmissions for gastrointestinal (6.0% vs 11.0%, p=0.04) and wound (5.3% vs 16.7%, p=0.0001) complications was lower. Predictors of nonindex readmission included longer length of stay (OR 1.02; 95% CI 1.001, 1.04), patient location in less populated areas, nonteaching hospital (OR 0.52; 95% CI 0.31, 0.86) and discharge to facility (OR 2.82; 95% CI 1.75, 4.55) or with home health (OR 1.49; 95% CI 1.05, 2.10). Nonindex readmissions had comparable mean readmission hospital costs (

Prediction of pathological stage based on clinical stage, serum prostate-specific antigen, and biopsy Gleason score: Partin Tables in the contemporary era

14,147 vs

Prostate health index density improves detection of clinically‐significant prostate cancer

15,102, p=0.7), in‐hospital mortality (OR 1.11; 95% CI 0.42, 2.87) and subsequent readmission (OR 1.32; 95% CI 0.87, 2.00) to index readmissions. Conclusions: This nationally representative study of patients undergoing radical cystectomy demonstrated comparable perioperative outcomes and hospital costs between index and nonindex readmitted patients, which supports the continued regionalization of cystectomy care.

Lymph node yield and tumor location in patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma undergoing nephroureterectomy affects survival: A U.S. population–based analysis (2004–2012)

To update the Partin Tables for prediction of pathological stage in the contemporary setting and examine trends in patients treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) over the past three decades.

Pathologic response in patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: Is therapeutic effect owing to chemotherapy or TURBT?

To explore the utility of Prostate Health Index (PHI) density for the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer (PCa) in a contemporary cohort of men presenting for diagnostic evaluation of PCa.

Oncological Outcomes of Sequential Intravesical Gemcitabine and Docetaxel in Patients with Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

PURPOSE The purpose of the study was to characterize the contemporary trends in lymphadenectomy for the treatment of upper tract urothelial carcinoma in a population-based cohort and to determine if number of lymph nodes removed and tumor location are predictors of cancer-specific survival in patients undergoing nephroureterectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Individuals with upper tract urothelial carcinoma undergoing nephroureterectomy in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program from 2004 to 2012 were identified. Linear regression was used to assess trends in lymphadenectomy. Patients were stratified based on nodal status, quartiles of nodes removed, and tumor location. Kaplan-Meier analysis, log-rank tests, and Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare cancer-specific survival and overall survival among groups. RESULTS In the cohort, 25% (721/2,862) of all patients and 27% (566/2,079) of grade 3/4 patients underwent lymphadenectomy. The percentage of patients undergoing lymphadenectomy increased from 20% (60/295) in 2004 to 33% (106/320) in 2012 (P = 0.02). Patients with the highest quartile of lymph nodes removed had improved the 5-year cancer-specific survival of 78% (95% CI: 69%-85%) compared to the second quartile (60%; 95% CI: 51%-67%; P = 0.003) and the third quartile (60%; 95% CI: 51%-68%; P = 0.002) of nodes removed. This trend held for node-negative and node-positive patients. In multivariable modeling, a lower number of lymph nodes dissected (hazard ratio = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.91-0.98) and ureteral tumors (hazard ratio = 1.29, 95% CI: 1.07-1.56) were predictors of worse cancer-specific survival. CONCLUSIONS In patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma undergoing nephroureterectomy, rates of lymphadenectomy have increased from 2004 to 2012 in the United States. In this contemporary cohort, an increase in the number of nodes removed and renal pelvis tumors are associated with improved cancer-specific survival, which highlights the importance of intentional lymph node dissection with adequate lymph node yield in these patients.

Assessing Cancer Progression and Stable Disease After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Organ-confined Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer

PURPOSE We estimated the proportion of patients who received neoadjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer whose tumors were downstaged by transurethral resection. MATERIALS AND METHODS We identified patients with cT2 N0 urothelial carcinoma who underwent cystectomy at our institution from 2005 to 2014-overall, 139 underwent transurethral resection without chemotherapy, and 146 underwent transurethral resection with chemotherapy. Pathologic response was defined as<pT2 N0. We used a Poisson regression model to determine relative risk (RR) of pathologic response in nonneoadjuvant vs. neoadjuvant patients, adjusting for demographic and clinical covariates. This RR was used to estimate the response attributable to transurethral resection. RESULTS Neoadjuvant patients were younger than nonneoadjuvant patients (64.4 vs. 71.4 years, P<0.01), with higher median body mass index (28.4 vs. 26.6kg/m2, P<0.01), lower prevalence of Charlson score≥3 (13.7% vs. 30.2%, P<0.01), and lower prevalence of prior non-muscle-invasive cancer (7.5% vs. 20.9%, P<0.01). More neoadjuvant patients achieved response compared with nonneoadjuvant patients (62.3% vs. 20.1%, RR = 3.10, P<0.01). Adjustment resulted in a RR of pathologic response in neoadjuvant vs. nonneoadjuvant patients of 2.60 (95% CI: 1.81-3.74, P<0.01). This adjusted RR indicates that among patients who receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy and undergo transurethral resection, 38% (95% CI: 27%-55%) of pathologic response can be attributed to transurethral resection. CONCLUSIONS We estimate that in a cohort of patients who receive chemotherapy and undergo transurethral resection before cystectomy, 38% of pathologic response can be attributed to transurethral resection. Understanding who responds to chemotherapy and who responds to transurethral resection is needed to measure the effectiveness of both interventions.