Psutka, Sarah P

Purpose The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and American Urological Association (AUA) provide guidelines for surveillance after surgery for renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Herein, we assess the ability of the guidelines to capture RCC recurrences and determine the duration of surveillance required to capture 90%, 95%, and 100% of recurrences. Patients and Methods We evaluated 3,651 patients who underwent surgery for M0 RCC between 1970 and 2008. Patients were stratified as AUA low risk (pT1Nx-0) after partial (LR-partial) or radical nephrectomy (LR-radical) or as moderate/high risk (M/HR; pT2-4Nx-0/pTanyN1). Guidelines were assessed by calculating the percentage of recurrences detected when following the 2013 and 2014 NCCN and AUA recommendations, and associated Medicare costs were compared. Results At a median follow-up of 9.0 years (interquartile range, 5.7 to 14.4 years), a total of 1,088 patients (29.8%) experienced a recurrence. Of these, 390 recurrences (35.9%) were detected using 2013 NCCN recommendations, 742 recurrences (68.2%) were detected using 2014 NCCN recommendations, and 728 recurrences (66.9%) were detected using AUA recommendations. All protocols missed the greatest amount of recurrences in the abdomen and among pT1Nx-0 patients. To capture 95% of recurrences, surveillance was required for 15 years for LR-partial, 21 years for LR-radical, and 14 years for M/HR patients. Medicare surveillance costs for one LR-partial patient were $1,228.79 using 2013 NCCN, $2,131.52 using 2014 NCCN, and $1,738.31 using AUA guidelines. However, if 95% of LR-partial recurrences were captured, costs would total $9,856.82. Conclusion If strictly followed, the 2014 NCCN and AUA guidelines will miss approximately one third of RCC recurrences. Improved surveillance algorithms, which balance patient benefits and health care costs, are needed.

BACKGROUNDThe authors evaluated sarcopenia as a predictor of cancer‐specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) among patients with urothelial cancer of the bladder undergoing radical cystectomy (RC).METHODSThe lumbar skeletal muscle index (SMI) of 205 patients treated with RC for urothelial cancer between 2000 and 2007 was measured. Sarcopenia was classified according to international consensus definitions (SMI of < 55 cm2/m2 for men and < 39 cm2/m2 for women). The CSS and OS were estimated using the Kaplan‐Meier method and compared with the log‐rank test. Variables associated with CSS and all‐cause mortality were summarized with hazard ratios (HRs).RESULTSOf 205 patients, 141 (68.8%) were sarcopenic. Patients with sarcopenia were older, but were otherwise similar to patients without sarcopenia with respect to sex, Charlson comorbidity index, American Society of Anesthesiologists score, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, receipt of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, TNM stage of disease, and tumor grade (P > .05 for all). The median follow‐up was 6.7 years, during which time 135 patients died, including 91 who died of bladder cancer. Sarcopenic patients had significantly worse 5‐year CSS (49% vs 72%; P = .003) and OS (39% vs 70%; P = .003) compared with patients without sarcopenia. Moreover, sarcopenia was found to be independently associated with both increased CSS (HR, 2.14; P = .007) and all‐cause mortality (HR, 1.93; P = .004) on multivariable analysis.CONCLUSIONSThe presence of sarcopenia was found to significantly increase a patient's risk of CSS and all‐cause mortality after undergoing RC for bladder cancer. Cancer 2014;120:2910–2918. © 2014 American Cancer Society.