Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Mortality in Bladder Cancer Patients: A SEER-Based Competing Risk Analysis

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pulmonology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Bladder cancer (BC) is a significant public health concern.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide.
• The relationship between BC and COPD mortality requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the risk of mortality from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in patients diagnosed with bladder cancer (BC).
• To compare COPD mortality rates in BC patients to the general population.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (2000-2016).
• Calculated standardized mortality ratios (SMR) for COPD mortality in BC patients.
• Employed Nelson-Aalen cumulative hazard curves and multivariable competing risk models to assess mortality risk.

Main Results:

• Identified 237,563 BC patients; 5,198 experienced COPD mortality.
• The overall SMR for COPD mortality in BC patients was 1.58 (95% CI: 1.54-1.63), indicating a significantly higher risk.
• Factors such as age, race, diagnosis year, histology, stage, surgery, marital status, education, and income independently predicted COPD mortality.

Conclusions:

• Patients with bladder cancer exhibit a substantially elevated risk of death from COPD compared to the general population.
• Proactive identification of high-risk BC patients for COPD mortality is essential.
• Implementing targeted respiratory care strategies can improve survival outcomes for BC patients at risk of COPD.