Zaojun Ye

Long-term Survival Following Partial vs Radical Nephrectomy Among Older Patients With Early-Stage Kidney Cancer

CONTEXT Although partial nephrectomy is the preferred treatment for many patients with early-stage kidney cancer, recent clinical trial data, which demonstrate better survival for patients treated with radical nephrectomy, have generated new uncertainty regarding the comparative effectiveness of these treatment options. OBJECTIVE To compare long-term survival after partial vs radical nephrectomy among a population-based patient cohort whose treatment reflects contemporary surgical practice. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS We performed a retrospective cohort study of Medicare beneficiaries with clinical stage T1a kidney cancer treated with partial or radical nephrectomy from 1992 through 2007. Using an instrumental variable approach to account for measured and unmeasured differences between treatment groups, we fit a 2-stage residual inclusion model to estimate the treatment effect of partial nephrectomy on long-term survival. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Overall and kidney cancer-specific survival. RESULTS Among 7138 Medicare beneficiaries with early-stage kidney cancer, we identified 1925 patients (27.0%) treated with partial nephrectomy and 5213 patients (73.0%) treated with radical nephrectomy. During a median follow-up of 62 months, 487 (25.3%) and 2164 (41.5%) patients died following partial or radical nephrectomy, respectively. Kidney cancer was the cause of death for 37 patients (1.9%) treated with partial nephrectomy, and 222 patients (4.3%) treated with radical nephrectomy. Patients treated with partial nephrectomy had a significantly lower risk of death (hazard ratio [HR], 0.54; 95% CI, 0.34-0.85). This corresponded with a predicted survival increase with partial nephrectomy of 5.6 (95% CI, 1.9-9.3), 11.8 (95% CI, 3.9-19.7), and 15.5 (95% CI, 5.0-26.0) percentage points at 2, 5, and 8 years posttreatment (P < .001). No difference was noted in kidney cancer-specific survival (HR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.19-3.49). CONCLUSION Among Medicare beneficiaries with early-stage kidney cancer who were candidates for either surgery, treatment with partial rather than radical nephrectomy was associated with improved survival.

Contemporary Use of Initial Active Surveillance Among Men in Michigan with Low-risk Prostate Cancer

BACKGROUND Active surveillance (AS) has been proposed as an effective strategy to reduce overtreatment among men with lower risk prostate cancers. However, historical rates of initial surveillance are low (4-20%), and little is known about its application among community-based urology practices. OBJECTIVE To describe contemporary utilization of AS among a population-based sample of men with low-risk prostate cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We performed a prospective cohort study of men with low-risk prostate cancer managed by urologists participating in the Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MUSIC). OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS The principal outcome was receipt of AS as initial management for low-risk prostate cancer including the frequency of follow-up prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing, prostate biopsy, and local therapy. We examined variation in the use of surveillance according to patient characteristics and across MUSIC practices. Finally, we used claims data to validate treatment classification in the MUSIC registry. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS We identified 682 low-risk patients from 17 MUSIC practices. Overall, 49% of men underwent initial AS. Use of initial surveillance varied widely across practices (27-80%; p=0.005), even after accounting for differences in patient characteristics. Among men undergoing initial surveillance with at least 12 mo of follow-up, PSA testing was common (85%), whereas repeat biopsy was performed in only one-third of patients. There was excellent agreement between treatment assignments in the MUSIC registry and claims data (κ=0.93). Limitations include unknown treatment for 8% of men with low-risk cancer. CONCLUSIONS Half of men in Michigan with low-risk prostate cancer receive initial AS. Because this proportion is much higher than reported previously, our findings suggest growing acceptance of this strategy for reducing overtreatment. PATIENT SUMMARY We examined the use of initial active surveillance for the management of men with low-risk prostate cancer across the state of Michigan. We found that initial surveillance is used much more commonly than previously reported, but the likelihood of a patient being placed on surveillance depends strongly on where he is treated.

Delays in diagnosis and bladder cancer mortality

Mortality from invasive bladder cancer is common, even with high‐quality care. Thus, the best opportunities to improve outcomes may precede the diagnosis. Although screening currently is not recommended, better medical care of patients who are at risk (ie, those with hematuria) has the potential to improve outcomes.

Provider Treatment Intensity and Outcomes for Patients With Early-Stage Bladder Cancer

BACKGROUND Bladder cancer is among the most prevalent and expensive to treat cancers in the United States. In the absence of high-level evidence to guide the optimal management of bladder cancer, urologists may vary widely in how aggressively they treat early-stage disease. We examined associations between initial treatment intensity and subsequent outcomes. METHODS We used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database to identify patients who were diagnosed with early-stage bladder cancer from January 1, 1992, through December 31, 2002 (n = 20 713), and the physician primarily responsible for providing care to each patient (n = 940). We ranked the providers according to the intensity of treatment they delivered to their patients (as measured by their average bladder cancer expenditures reported to Medicare in the first 2 years after a diagnosis) and then grouped them into quartiles that contained approximately equal numbers of patients. We assessed associations between treatment intensity and outcomes, including survival through December 31, 2005, and the need for subsequent major interventions by using Cox proportional hazards models. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS The average Medicare expenditure per patient for providers in the highest quartile of treatment intensity was more than twice that for providers in the lowest quartile of treatment intensity (

Variation in Use of Active Surveillance among Men Undergoing Expectant Treatment for Early Stage Prostate Cancer

7131 vs

Complications and failure to rescue after laparoscopic versus open radical nephrectomy

2830, respectively). High-treatment intensity providers more commonly performed endoscopic surveillance and used more intravesical therapy and imaging studies than low-treatment intensity providers. However, the intensity of initial treatment was not associated with a lower risk of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio of death from any cause for patients of low- vs high-treatment intensity providers = 1.03, 95% confidence interval 0.97 to 1.09). Initial intensive management did not obviate the need for later interventions. In fact, a higher proportion of patients treated by high-treatment intensity providers than by low-treatment intensity providers subsequently underwent a major medical intervention (11.0% vs 6.4%, P = .02). CONCLUSIONS Providers vary widely in how aggressively they manage early-stage bladder cancer. Patients treated by high-treatment intensity providers do not appear to benefit in terms of survival or in avoidance of subsequent major medical interventions.

A Statewide Intervention to Reduce Hospitalizations after Prostate Biopsy

PURPOSE We examined variation in active surveillance use in Medicare eligible men undergoing expectant treatment for early stage prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results) and Medicare data we identified 49,192 men diagnosed with localized prostate cancer from 2004 through 2007. Of 7,347 patients who did not receive treatment (ie expectant management) within 12 months of diagnosis we assessed the prevalence of active surveillance (ie repeat prostate biopsy and prostate specific antigen measurement) vs watchful waiting across health care markets. We fit multivariable logistic regression models to examine associations of active surveillance with patient demographics, cancer severity and health care market characteristics. RESULTS During the study interval use of active surveillance vs watchful waiting increased significantly in patients treated expectantly from 9.7% in 2004 to 15.3% in 2007 (p <0.001). Active surveillance was less common in older patients, those with high risk tumors and those with more comorbidities (each p <0.001). Patients who were white and had higher socioeconomic status were more likely to receive active surveillance (each p <0.05). After adjusting for patient and tumor characteristics significant differences in the predicted probability of active surveillance persisted across health care markets (range 2.4% to 30.1%). No significant variation in active surveillance use was associated with specific health care market characteristics, including intensity of end of life care, Medicare reimbursement or provider density. CONCLUSIONS Active surveillance has been relatively uncommon in Medicare beneficiaries with localized prostate cancer. Its use relative to watchful waiting varies based on patient demographics, tumor severity and geographic location.

Hospitalization Trends After Prostate and Bladder Surgery: Implications of Potential Payment Reforms

PURPOSE Since to our knowledge the population level impact of laparoscopy on post-radical nephrectomy morbidity and mortality remains unknown, we compared the rates of postoperative complications and failure to rescue (the fatality rate in patients with a complication) in patients treated with laparoscopic vs open radical nephrectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using linked SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results)-Medicare data we identified patients with kidney cancer who were treated with laparoscopic or open radical nephrectomy from 2000 through 2005. After measuring the frequency of postoperative complications and failure to rescue we fit multivariate logistic regression models to estimate the association of these outcomes with surgical approach, adjusting for patient characteristics, cancer severity and surgery year. We also assessed the relationship between case volume, complications and failure to rescue. RESULTS We identified 2,108 (26%) and 5,895 patients (74%) treated with laparoscopic and open radical nephrectomy, respectively. The overall rates of complications and failure to rescue were 36.9% and 5.3%, respectively. The predicted probability of any, major, medical and surgical complications was 15%, 12%, 13% and 23% lower, respectively, after laparoscopic than after open radical nephrectomy (each p <0.05). Despite less frequent complications patients treated with laparoscopic radical nephrectomy had a greater probability of failure to rescue (7.6% vs 4.6%, p = 0.010). Higher volume surgeons and hospitals had a lower rate of failure to rescue in patients treated with radical nephrectomy (each p <0.05) but not with open radical nephrectomy. CONCLUSIONS Supporting the decreased morbidity of laparoscopy, patients treated with radical nephrectomy had fewer complications than those who underwent open radical nephrectomy. However, failure to rescue was more common in patients with a complication after radical nephrectomy, suggesting that these events may be more difficult to recognize and manage successfully, especially among less experienced surgeons and hospitals.

Anticipating the Effects of Accountable Care Organizations for Inpatient Surgery

PURPOSE Recent data suggest that increasing rates of hospitalization after prostate biopsy are mainly due to infections from fluoroquinolone-resistant bacteria. We report the initial results of a statewide quality improvement intervention aimed at reducing infection related hospitalizations after transrectal prostate biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS From March 2012 through May 2014 data on patient demographics, comorbidities, prophylactic antibiotics and post-biopsy complications were prospectively entered into an electronic registry by trained abstractors in 30 practices participating in the MUSIC. During this period each practice implemented one or both of the interventions aimed at addressing fluoroquinolone resistance, namely 1) use of rectal swab culture directed antibiotics or 2) augmented antibiotic prophylaxis with a second agent in addition to standard fluoroquinolone therapy. We identified all patients with an infection related hospitalization within 30 days after biopsy and validated these events with claims data for a subset of patients. We then compared the frequency of infection related hospitalizations before (5,028 biopsies) and after (4,087 biopsies) implementation of the quality improvement intervention. RESULTS Overall the proportion of patients with infection related hospitalizations after prostate biopsy decreased by 53% from before to after implementation of the quality improvement intervention (1.19% before vs 0.56% after, p=0.002). Among post-implementation biopsies the rates of hospitalization were similar for patients receiving culture directed (0.47%) vs augmented (0.57%) prophylaxis. At a practice level the relative change in hospitalization rates varied from a 7.4% decrease to a 3.0% increase. Fourteen practices had no post-implementation hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS A statewide intervention aimed at addressing fluoroquinolone resistance reduced post-prostate biopsy infection related hospitalizations in Michigan by 53%.

Infection Related Hospitalizations after Prostate Biopsy in a Statewide Quality Improvement Collaborative

PURPOSE Hospital stays have decreased for patients undergoing surgery for urological cancer. However, there are concerns that patients are being discharged from the hospital prematurely. We examined associations between hospital stay and short-term outcomes for a low risk procedure (prostatectomy) and high risk procedure (cystectomy). MATERIALS AND METHODS We used SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results)-Medicare data from 1992 through 2005 to identify 46,781 prostatectomy and 9,035 cystectomy cases. We assessed our main outcome (adjusted likelihood of hospital readmission within 30 days) using a logistic regression model. Secondary outcomes included mortality rates and discharge disposition. RESULTS In comparing patients from 1992 to 1993, to 2004 to 2005, hospital stay decreased approximately 3 days for both surgeries (relative decrease of more than 50% for prostatectomy and 21% for cystectomy). Hospital readmission rates were 4.5% and 25.2% for prostatectomy and cystectomy, respectively, and remained stable with time. Skilled nursing/intermediate care use was stable for patients who underwent prostatectomy (approximately 1%), but increased from 8.2% (95% CI 5.4-11.4) to 18.9% (95% CI 16.8-21.3) for those treated with cystectomy. Use of home care increased from 8.1% (95% CI 7.3-9.0) to 11.1% (95% CI 10.1-12.1) and from 34.2% (95% CI 29.7-38.7) to 47.5% (95% CI 44.5-50.1) for prostatectomy and cystectomy cases, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Reductions in hospital stay were more dramatic for patients who underwent prostatectomy and were associated with stable short-term outcomes. Conversely, smaller reductions in hospitalization for patients undergoing cystectomy were met with substantial increases in the use of post-acute care. Going forward, close surveillance of how imminent policy reforms affect patterns and quality of care will be necessary.