Rethinking the one-size-fits-most approach to venous thromboembolism prophylaxis after radical cystectomy

The Risk of Thromboembolism in Patients with Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer before and after Cystectomy Depending on Blood Group and Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy-A Multicentre Retrospective Cohort Study

PURPOSE

Previous studies have indicated that patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer with non-O blood types have an increased risk of experiencing thromboembolic events (TEEs). This is finding is in relation to neoadjuvant-chemotherapy (NAC)-naïve patients.

AIM

to establish the risk of TEEs and any association with blood types among NAC patients as well as NAC-naïve patients.

METHODS

Cystectomized patients at four centres treated from 2009 to 2018 (n = 244) were analysed. The quantities of patients corresponding to each blood group were as follows: A-108 (44%); O-99 (41%); B-30 (12%); and AB-7 (3%). NAC patients (n = 167) and NAC-naïve NAC-eligible patients (n = 77) were assessed. In total, 54 women (22%) and 190 men (78%), with a median age of 69 years, were included in the study. The occurrence of any type of TEE from six months pre-cystectomy to 12-24 months after was analysed using logistic regression adjusted for NAC and confounders.

RESULTS

Sixty-six TEEs were detected in 21% of the patients (n = 52). Pulmonary embolus (n = 33) and deep venous thrombosis (n = 11) were the most common forms. No significant differences between blood types were found in the analysis, although B blood type had a nearly significant increased crude risk compared with O blood type, for which there was an OR of 2.48 (95% CI 0.98-6.36). Adjustment for NAC and covariates weakened the OR, which plummeted to 1.98 (95% CI 0.71-5.51).

CONCLUSIONS

No significant associations were found between blood types and TEE occurrences in this cohort including both NAC and NAC-naïve NAC-eligible patients.

The Impact of Venous Thromboembolism on Mortality and Morbidity During Nephrectomy for Renal Mass

OBJECTIVES

To determine the morbidity, mortality, and costs associated with having concurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) at the time of surgical resection of a renal mass.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We identified 108,430 patients undergoing elective partial or radical nephrectomy for a renal mass from 2013 to 2017 using the Premier Healthcare database. The association of VTE with 90-day complication rates, mortality, ICU admission, readmission, and direct hospital costs (2019 US dollars) was determined with multivariable logistic regression and quantile regression models, respectively.

RESULTS

Of the 108,430 patients who underwent elective partial or radical nephrectomy, 1.2% (n=1,301) of patients were diagnosed with a preoperative VTE. Patients with preoperative VTE have higher rates of minor (OR 1.47, 95% CI 1.34-1.62, p<0.0001) and major complications (OR 2.53, 95% CI 2.23-2.86, p<0.0001), mortality (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.6-2.57, p<0.0001), and readmissions (OR 1.73, 95% CI 1.57-1.90, p<0.0001) compared to patients without preoperative VTE at the time of nephrectomy. Notably, the predicted probability for a major complication was significantly higher among patients with preoperative VTE who underwent either partial or radical nephrectomy, irrespective of the surgical approach utilized. Furthermore, rates of all types of complications except endocrine and soft tissue were significantly increased in patients undergoing nephrectomy with preoperative VTE compared to those without VTE.

CONCLUSIONS

VTE at the time of nephrectomy is associated with significantly higher rates of major complications, increased mortality, and higher overall costs. Taken together, these findings have important implications for the counseling and management of renal masses in presence of VTE.

Urinary diversions for benign and oncologic indications: what did we learn about short term complications in the last 24 months?

PURPOSE OF THE REVIEW

Urinary diversion (UD) with or without cystectomy is a procedure with high short term complication rates. In this review, we summarize the most relevant findings of the last 2 years.

RECENT FINDINGS

The use of a prophylactic mesh decreases the risk of parastomal hernia after ileal conduit (IC) surgery without adding mesh-related complications according to a recent randomized multicentre trial. Robot-assisted surgery is increasingly applied for UD and is evolving from extra- to intra-corporeal reconstruction in both continent and incontinent diversions, but there is still a need for appropriately designed studies assessing both short- and long-term complications. Promising techniques to decrease ureterointestinal stricture rates have been reported from small series, such as retrosigmoid placement of the proximal IC to avoid transpositioning of the left ureter, or in robot-assisted surgery the use of indocyanine green with near-infrared light to improve visualisation of distal ureteral viability.

SUMMARY

Most recent reports derive from observational data. Appropriate randomized studies are warranted for the evaluation of new techniques to be implemented in a surgical area that still is associated with high complication rates.