Risk factors for recurrence following radical cystectomy for pathologic node negative bladder cancer

To evaluate for risk factors associated with bladder cancer recurrence in patients with pathologically negative lymph nodes.

A retrospective review of 405 patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer between 1996 and 2008 was performed. Patients with node-positive disease and <6 months of follow up were excluded. Clinical and pathological characteristics including stage, lymphadenectomy type (standard vs. extended), number of nodes removed, margin status, lymphovascular invasion (LVI), perineural invasion (PNI), presence of carcinoma in situ, and site of recurrence were evaluated. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to calculate 5-year recurrence-free survival stratified by lymph node yield.

Two hundred sixty patients met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 80 (30.8%) patients recurred within 5 years. Univariate analysis identified LVI, PNI, extravesical disease, positive margins, and lymph node yield <14 to be significant predictors of disease recurrence. On multivariate analysis LVI, PNI, and node yield <14 retained significance (P = 0.01, 0.037, 0.038, respectively). There was no difference in 5-year recurrence free survival when stratified by node yield using the Kaplan-Meier method (P = 0.138).

We identified LVI, PNI, and lymph node yield <14 as three independent risk factors for bladder cancer recurrence in patients with node-negative bladder cancer.