Complications after neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radical cystectomy for patients with bladder cancer: A propensity...

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in combination with radical cystectomy (RC) is the standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). We investigated the impact of NAC on postoperative complications after RC in patients with bladder cancer (BCa).

Using the recently available American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) Targeted Cystectomy database, we identified adult (>18 years old) patients who underwent RC for the treatment of BCa. Patients were then dichotomized based on whether they received NAC. We performed a 1:1 propensity score matched (PSM) analysis based on demographic and perioperative covariates. Postoperative outcomes were then compared between the two matched groups. A multivariable analysis was also performed to identify if NAC was associated with any complication.

We identified 1582 eligible patients: 913 (57.7%) in the group that did not receive NAC and 669 (42.3%) in the group that did receive NAC. Before PSM, patients in the NAC group were younger, had lower American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) scores, had higher rates of preoperative anemia, and were more likely to undergo continent urinary diversion. Similarly, before PSM patients in the NAC group had significantly higher rates of major complications, sepsis, urinary leak/fistula, and intraoperative/postoperative blood transfusion compared to the group that did not receive NAC; however, after 1:1 PSM, we did not find any significant difference postoperative complication rates. Multivariable analysis confirmed that NAC was not associated with any complications.

We demonstrated that NAC does not impact 30-day postoperative complications in patients undergoing RC for BCa.