Improved surgical outcomes following radical cystectomy at high-volume centers influence overall survival

Positive surgical margins (PSM) and lymph node yield (LNY) following radical cystectomy (RC) for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder affect survival. Variations in PSM or LNY at different care facilities are poorly described. We evaluated the relationship between hospital surgical volume and academic hospital status with these surgical outcomes and overall survival (OS).

Patients with nonmetastatic urothelial carcinoma of the bladder who underwent RC were identified from the National Cancer Database (2004-2013). Treatment centers were categorized as academic (ACC) and community cancer centers (CCC). Logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with PSM status and LNY, and a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine factors associated with OS.

In our cohort, 39,274 patients underwent RC. A lower proportion of PSMs (10% vs.12%; P<0.001) and higher median LNY (14 vs. 8, P<0.001) was observed at ACCs compared to CCCs. On logistic regression, there were lower odds of PSM (OR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.81-0.97) and higher odds of LNY ≥ 10 nodes (OR = 1.84, 95% CI: 1.74-1.96) among patients at ACCs compared to CCCs. Cox proportional hazards analysis demonstrated benefit to OS at high-volume centers (HR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.87-0.95) but not based on ACC designation. The OS advantage at high-volume centers is attenuated (HR = 0.95, 95% CI: 0.91-0.99) by PSM status and LNY.

ACCs demonstrate improved surgical outcomes following RC, and a survival advantage attributable to high surgical volume is identified. Centralization of care may lead to improved outcomes in this lethal malignancy.