Disparities in Stage at Diagnosis in an Equal-access Integrated Delivery System: A Retrospective Cohort Study of 7244 Patients With Bladder Cancer

Racial disparities in stage at bladder cancer diagnosis in the US Veterans Affairs healthcare system

OBJECTIVE

To describe patient characteristics and pathological stage at bladder cancer (BCa) diagnosis in a diverse population within a national, equal-access healthcare system.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study identified 15 966 men diagnosed with BCa in the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system from 2000 to 2020. The primary outcome was pathological stage at diagnosis, determined by index transurethral resection of bladder tumour. Logistic regression was used to assess the relationship between race and stage. Competing risk models tested the association between race and BCa-specific mortality with cumulative incidence estimates.

RESULTS

Of 15 966 BCa patients, 12 868 (81%), 1726 (11%), 493 (3%) and 879 (6%) were White, Black, Hispanic and Other race, respectively. Black patients had significantly higher muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) rates than White patients (35% vs 32%; P = 0.009). In multivariable analysis, the odds of presenting with MIBC did not differ significantly between Black and White patients (odds ratio [OR] 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.98-1.22) or between Hispanic patients (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.67-1.01) and White patients. Compared to White patients, Black patients had a similar risk of BCa-specific mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 0.89, 95% CI 0.75-1.06), whereas Hispanic patients had a lower risk (HR 0.56, 95% CI 0.38-0.82).

CONCLUSIONS

Black patients presented with the highest rates of de novo MIBC. However, in a large, equal-access healthcare system, this did not result in a difference in BCa-specific mortality. In contrast, Hispanic patients had lower risks of MIBC and BCa-specific mortality.

Understanding symptom contribution to sex inequality in bladder and renal cancer stage at diagnosis

Background

Understanding sex-specific factors contributing to advanced-stage diagnosis can guide interventions to reduce sex inequality in patients with urological cancers.

Method

We used linked primary care and cancer registry data to examine associations between symptoms and advanced-stage in 1151 bladder cancer and 440 renal cancer patients diagnosed between January 2012 and December 2015 in England. We performed logistic regression, adjusting for sex, age, deprivation and routes to diagnosis, including interaction terms between symptoms and sex and symptoms and age.

Results

Female sex (OR vs. men 1.89 [1.28-2.79]; p = 0.001) and patients presenting with urinary tract infections (OR 2.22 [1.34-3.69]) and abdominal symptoms (OR 2.19 [1.30-3.70]) were associated with increased odds of advanced-stage bladder cancer (vs. haematuria, p = 0.016 for both). Women with haematuria and men with abdominal symptoms (compared with the opposite sex with the same presenting symptom) were more likely to have advanced-stage bladder cancer. Neither sex nor symptom associations were observed for renal cancer.

Conclusion

Non-haematuria symptoms are associated with higher risk of advanced-stage bladder cancer. Greater risk of advanced-stage bladder cancer in women may reflect biological differences in haematuria onset and sex differences during diagnostic process. Identifying higher risk women with haematuria may reduce sex inequalities in bladder cancer outcomes.

Increased risk of bladder cancer recurrence due to bacillus Calmette-Guérin shortage in Brazil

OBJECTIVE

Our study aimed to evaluate the impact of bacillus Calmette-Guérin shortage on recurrence and progression in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer in a Brazilian cohort.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the clinicopathological data of 409 patients who had their first transurethral resection of the bladder tumor for intermediate or high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer between June 2014 and May 2021 in a tertiary public hospital in Brazil. Patients included had non-muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder resected completely for the first time, regardless of bacillus Calmette-Guérin use. Low-risk disease patients were excluded from the analysis. Demographic, clinicopathological, and bacillus Calmette-Guérin use data were collected from our database. Recurrence and progression data were obtained from patient records or through telephone interviews. Recurrence-free survival and progression-free survival were calculated from the date of transurethral resection of the bladder tumor until the events of recurrence, progression, last office visit, or phone interview.

RESULTS

Within a median follow-up period of 26.7 months, 168 (41.1%) patients experienced a recurrence in a median time of 27 months (95%CI 16.1-38). Bacillus Calmette-Guérin was administered to 57 (13.9%) individuals after transurethral resection of the bladder tumor. Patients with ≥3 lesions (p<0.001), those with lesions >3 cm (p=0.02), and those without bacillus Calmette-Guérin treatment (p<0.001) had shorter recurrence-free survival. According to a Cox multivariate regression model, bacillus Calmette-Guérin use was independently associated with a reduced recurrence rate, with an HR of 0.43 (95%CI 0.25-0.72). Out of the patients studied, 26 (6.4%) experienced progression. T1 stage (p<0.001) and high-grade (p<0.001) were associated with shorter progression-free survival. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin did not influence bladder cancer progression. In the Cox multivariate analysis, high-risk disease was independently associated with progression (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Our study confirms that non-muscle invasive bladder cancer exhibits a high recurrence rate. The use of adjuvant bacillus Calmette-Guérin in intermediate and high-risk patients significantly reduces this rate. Furthermore, the bacillus Calmette-Guérin shortage could have negatively impacted these patients.

Approaches to developing de novo cancer population models to examine questions about cancer and race in bladder, gastric, and endometrial cancer and multiple myeloma: the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network incubator program

BACKGROUND

We are developing 10 de novo population-level mathematical models in 4 malignancies (multiple myeloma and bladder, gastric, and uterine cancers). Each of these sites has documented disparities in outcome that are believed to be downstream effects of systemic racism.

METHODS

Ten models are being independently developed as part of the Cancer Intervention and Surveillance Modeling Network incubator program. These models simulate trends in cancer incidence, early diagnosis, treatment, and mortality for the general population and are stratified by racial subgroup. Model inputs are based on large population datasets, clinical trials, and observational studies. Some core parameters are shared, and other parameters are model specific. All models are microsimulation models that use self-reported race to stratify model inputs. They can simulate the distribution of relevant risk factors (eg, smoking, obesity) and insurance status (for multiple myeloma and uterine cancer) in US birth cohorts and population.

DISCUSSION

The models aim to refine approaches in prevention, detection, and management of 4 cancers given uncertainties and constraints. They will help explore whether the observed racial disparities are explainable by inequities, assess the effects of existing and potential cancer prevention and control policies on health equity and disparities, and identify policies that balance efficiency and fairness in decreasing cancer mortality.

Medicaid expansion and racial disparity in timely multidisciplinary treatment in muscle invasive bladder cancer

BACKGROUND

Multidisciplinary cancer care (neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy or trimodality therapy) is crucial for outcome of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), a potentially curable illness. Medicaid expansion through Affordable Care Act (ACA) increased insurance coverage especially among patients of racial minorities. This study aims to investigate the association between Medicaid expansion and racial disparity in timely treatment in MIBC.

METHODS

This quasi-experimental study analyzed Black and White individuals aged 18-64 years with stage II and III bladder cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy or trimodality therapy from National Cancer Database 2008-2018. Primary outcome was timely treatment started within 45 days following cancer diagnosis. Racial disparity is the percentage-point difference between Black and White patients. Patients in expansion and nonexpansion states were compared using difference-in-differences and difference-in-difference-in-differences analyses, controlling for age, sex, area-level income, clinical stage, comorbidity, metropolitan status, treatment type, and year of diagnosis.

RESULTS

The study included 4991 (92.3% White, n = 4605; 7.7% Black, n = 386) patients. Percentage of Black patients who received timely care increased following the ACA in Medicaid expansion states (54.5% pre-ACA vs 57.4% post-ACA) but decreased in nonexpansion states (69.9% pre-ACA vs 53.7% post-ACA). After adjusting covariates, Medicaid expansion was associated with a net 13.7 percentage-point reduction of Black-White patient disparity in timely receipt of MIBC treatment (95% confidence interval = 0.5% to 26.8%; P < .01).

CONCLUSIONS

Medicaid expansion was associated with statically significant reduction in racial disparity between Black and White patients in timely multidisciplinary treatment for MIBC.

Biological differences underlying sex and gender disparities in bladder cancer: current synopsis and future directions

Sex and gender disparities in bladder cancer have long been a subject of interest to the cancer research community, wherein men have a 4 times higher incidence rate than women, and female patients often present with higher-grade disease and experience worse outcomes. Despite the known differences in disease incidence and clinical outcomes between male and female bladder cancer patients, clinical management remains the same. In this review, we critically analyze studies that report on the biological differences between men and women and evaluate how these differences contribute to sex and gender disparities in bladder cancer. Distinct characteristics of the male and female immune systems, differences in circulating hormone levels and hormone receptor expression, and different genetic and epigenetic alterations are major biological factors that all likely contribute to disparate incidence rates and outcomes for male and female bladder cancer patients. Future preclinical and clinical studies in this area should employ experimental approaches that account for and consider sex and gender disparities in bladder cancer, thereby facilitating the development of precision medicine for the effective treatment of bladder cancer in all patients.

Disparities in cause-specific mortality by race and sex among bladder cancer patients from the SEER database

PURPOSE

Previous literature shows that more bladder cancer patients overall die from causes other than the primary malignancy. Given known disparities in bladder cancer outcomes by race and sex, we aimed to characterize differences in cause-specific mortality for bladder cancer patients by these demographics.

METHODS

We identified 215,252 bladder cancer patients diagnosed with bladder cancer from 2000 to 2017 in the SEER 18 database. We calculated cumulative incidence of death from seven causes (bladder cancer, COPD, diabetes, heart disease, external, other cancer, other) to assess differences in cause-specific mortality between race and sex subgroups. We used multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression and Fine-Gray competing risk models to compare risk of bladder cancer-specific mortality between race and sex subgroups overall and stratified by cancer stage.

RESULTS

17% of patients died from bladder cancer (n = 36,923), 30% died from other causes (n = 65,076), and 53% were alive (n = 113,253). Among those who died, the most common cause of death was bladder cancer, followed by other cancer and diseases of the heart. All race-sex subgroups were more likely than white men to die from bladder cancer. Compared to white men, white women (HR: 1.20, 95% CI: 1.17-1.23) and Black women (HR: 1.57, 95% CI: 1.49-1.66) had a higher risk of dying from bladder cancer, overall and stratified by stage.

CONCLUSION

Among bladder cancer patients, death from other causes especially other cancer and heart disease contributed a large proportion of mortality. We found differences in cause-specific mortality by race-sex subgroups, with Black women having a particularly high risk of dying from bladder cancer.

Holistic Assessment of Quality of Life Predicts Survival in Older Patients with Bladder Cancer

OBJECTIVE

To determine if clustering methods can use a holistic assessment of health-related quality-of-life after bladder cancer diagnosis to predict survival outcomes independent of clinical characteristics. In the United States, an estimated 81,180 cases of bladder cancer will be diagnosed in 2022. We aim to help address the knowledge gap concerning the impact of patient functional status on outcomes.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This is a cross-sectional, retrospective cohort study of patients in the End Results-Medicare Health Outcomes Survey Registry. Age and 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) responses were used as K-means inputs to identify homogenous clusters of older patients with bladder cancer. We analyzed the association between the identified clusters, patient and disease characteristics, and outcomes. We used Cox proportional hazard regression to compare overall survival.

RESULTS

We identified 5 homogenous clusters that exhibited differences in patient characteristics and survival. There was no significant difference in cancer stage or surgery type among the clusters. The Cox proportional hazard regression demonstrated significant associations of cluster with gender, age, education, marital status, smoking status, type of surgery, and cancer stage on overall survival. Cluster independently predicted overall survival.

CONCLUSION

Using unsupervised machine learning, we identified clusters of patients with bladder cancer who had similar mental and physical function scores. Cluster grouping suggests that patients' mental and physical function may not be based on disease or treatment. There are significant survival differences between all clusters, demonstrating that a holistic assessment of patient-reported health-related quality-of-life has the potential to predict survival and possible modifiable risk factors in older patients with bladder cancer.

The Impact of Race and Sex on Metastatic Bladder Cancer Survival

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the epidemiological profile of metastatic bladder cancer (BC) and assess mortality rate with respect to race and gender across the three most common histologies of bladder cancer-Transitional Cell Carcinoma, Adenocarcinoma, and SCC (Squamous Cell Carcinoma).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program database (2000-2017) was queried for all metastatic bladder cancer patients at presentation. Our primary exposure consists of four race/gender combinations. One-way ANOVA and Chi-square tests compared categorical and continuous variables across the exposure variable, respectively. Univariable and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were used to examine the association between race/gender combinations and the overall and cancer specific survival adjusting for the other variables.

RESULTS

A total of 312,846 bladder cancer patients, 6337 with distant metastases and 11,446 with regional metastases were evaluated. Black female cancer specific survival in metastatic disease was disproportionally lower compared to all race/gender for Transitional Cell Carcinoma 4.3% (95% CI: 1.6-8.9), SCC 2.6% (95% CI: 0.2-11.8), and Adenocarcinoma 6.4% (0.4%-25%). In regional metastastatic disease, worse cancer specific mortality was associated with identifying as a Black Female (aHR 1.17, P = .023), SCC (aHR 1.8, P <.001), increasing age (aHR 1.3, P <.001), and poorly differentiated grade (aHR 2.01, P <.001).

CONCLUSION

Black females experience excess mortality in overall and cancer oncologic outcomes in metastatic BC. Our findings contribute to the body of research warranting examination of the impact of social determinants of health and provider decisions on BC survivorship and contribute to physician decision making in the treatment and surveillance of bladder cancer.

lncRNA-UCA1 in the diagnosis of bladder cancer: A meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The main purpose of this study is to systematically evaluate the diagnostic value of long-chain non-coding RNA urothelial carcinoembryonic antigen 1 (lncRNA-UCA1) for bladder cancer, and to provide a scientific basis for the diagnosis of bladder cancer.

METHODS

By searching PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, CNKI, Wanfang, Weipu and other databases, in order to collect relevant literature of lncRNA-UCA1 for diagnosis of bladder cancer. The starting and ending time of the search is from the establishment of the database to December 31, 2019. Screen documents and extract data according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. QUADAS entry tool was used to evaluate the quality of literature. Meta-Disc 1.4 and Stata 12.0 software were used for statistical analysis, and UCA1 was combined for the statistics of bladder cancer diagnosis.

RESULTS

A total of 7 articles were included in this study, including 954 cases of bladder cancer patients and 482 cases of non-bladder cancer patients. The receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) curve AUC of lncRNA-UCA1 used to diagnose bladder cancer was 0.86. The sensitivity was 0.83 (95% CI: 0.80-0.85), and the specificity was 0.86 (95% CI: 0.82-0.89). The positive likelihood ratio is 6.38 (95% CI: 3.01-13.55), and the negative likelihood ratio is 0.20 (95% CI: 0.13-0.31). The diagnostic odds ratio is 33.13 (95% CI: 11.16-98.33).

CONCLUSION

lncRNA-UCA1 has a high value of clinical auxiliary diagnosis for bladder cancer, and it can be further promoted and applied clinically.

A modified Delphi study to develop a practical guide for selecting patients with prostate cancer for active surveillance

Background

Active surveillance (AS) is a management option for men diagnosed with lower risk prostate cancer. There is wide variation in all aspects of AS internationally, from patient selection to investigations and follow-up intervals, and a lack of clear evidence on the optimal approach to AS. This study aimed to provide guidance for clinicians from an international panel of prostate cancer experts.

Methods

A modified Delphi approach was undertaken, utilising two rounds of online questionnaires followed by a face-to-face workshop. Participants indicated their level of agreement with statements relating to patient selection for AS via online questionnaires on a 7-point Likert scale. Factors not achieving agreement were iteratively developed between the two rounds of questionnaires. Draft statements were presented at the face-to-face workshop for discussion and consensus building.

Results

12 prostate cancer experts (9 urologists, 2 academics, 1 radiation oncologist) participated in this study from a range of geographical regions (4 USA, 4 Europe, 4 Australia). Complete agreement on statements presented to the participants was 29.4% after Round One and 69.0% after Round Two. Following robust discussions at the face-to-face workshop, agreement was reached on the remaining statements. PSA, PSA density, Multiparametric MRI, and systematic biopsy (with or without targeted biopsy) were identified as minimum diagnostic tests required upon which to select patients to recommend AS as a treatment option for prostate cancer. Patient factors and clinical parameters that identified patients appropriate to potentially receive AS were agreed. Genetic and genomic testing was not recommended for use in clinical decision-making regarding AS.

Conclusions

The lack of consistency in the practice of AS for men with lower risk prostate cancer between and within countries was reflected in this modified Delphi study. There are, however, areas of common practice and agreement from which clinicians practicing in the current environment can use to inform their clinical practice to achieve the best outcomes for patients.

Advances in bladder cancer biology and therapy

The field of research in bladder cancer has seen significant advances in recent years. Next-generation sequencing has identified the genes most mutated in bladder cancer. This wealth of information allowed the definition of driver mutations, and identification of actionable therapeutic targets, as well as a clearer picture of patient prognosis and therapeutic direction. In a similar vein, our understanding of the cellular aspects of bladder cancer has grown. The identification of the cellular geography and the populations of different cell types and quantifications of normal and abnormal cell types in tumours provide a better prediction of therapeutic response. Non-invasive methods of diagnosis, including liquid biopsies, have seen major advances as well. These methods will likely find considerable utility in assessing minimal residual disease following treatment and for early-stage diagnosis. A significant therapeutic impact on patients with bladder cancer is found in the use of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapeutics. These therapeutics have been shown to cure some patients with bladder cancer and significantly decrease adverse events. These developments provide patients with better monitoring opportunities, unique therapeutic options and greater hope for prolonged survival.