Impact of a surgeon on the relapse-free survival of patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Background. The high rate of recurrences after visual complete transurethral resection (TUR) is a main problem in the treatment of nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). One of the factors influencing the long-term results of treatment for this pathology may be the quality of TUR, which depends on a surgeon’s experience.

Objective: to evaluate the impact of a surgeon on relapse-free survival rates after radical treatment in patients with NMIBC and to search the optimal quality criteria for TUR in this disease.

Materials and methods. The data of patients with primary or recurrent NMIBC treated using TUR with and without intravesical therapy at the N. N. Aleksandrov Republican Research and Practical Center for Oncology and Medical Radiology in 2004 to 2013 were retrospectively analyzed. The investigation included a total of 949 cases of performing organ-sparing treatment in 784 patients. The operations were made by 5 surgeons with comparable experience with TUR.

Results. At a median follow-up of 64.3 (3–124) months, the 5-year relapse-free survival rates in 5 surgical groups were 62.9 (95 % confidence interval (CI) 56.2–69.7), 53.6 (95 % CI 47.4–59.9), 51.0 (95 % CI 39.6–62.4), 46.2 (95 % CI 36.4–56.0), and 44.2 % (95 % CI 36.8–51.7), respectively (p < 0.0001). According to the data of multivariate analysis including all potential factors, the prognostic role of a surgeon’s experience retained a high level of statistical significance (p = 0.0013). The differences between the surgeons were less pronounced after resection of tumors at a low risk for recurrence. Analysis of the distribution of the recurrence rates within the first 3, 6, and 12 months after TUR in relation to the surgeon, which were stratified according to recurrence risk groups, showed that the most differing rates were observed 12 months after TUR.

Conclusion. An operating surgeon has a significant effect on the risk of recurrence after radical treatment in patients with NMIBC. In our investigation, this effect was observed in spite of the relative much experience with surgical treatment of this disease by all surgeons and the performance of operations in one highly specialized center. The differences between the surgeons are less pronounced after resection of tumors at low recurrence risk. The recurrence rates for primary single (below 10 %), recurrent or multiple (below 19 %), and for recurrent and multiple (below 32 %) tumors within the first year after surgery can be taken for the quality criteria of TUR.

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