Costs of radical cystectomy

Cost of cystectomy-related complications in patients with bladder cancer in the United States

Aims: To describe healthcare utilization and cost associated with the short-term and long-term complications of cystectomy among commercially insured bladder cancer patients in the United States.Materials and methods: This retrospective, observational cohort study evaluated adults with bladder cancer receiving a transurethral resection of bladder tumor followed by a partial or radical cystectomy procedure using U.S. administrative claims from the 2005-2015 IBM MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental databases. Bladder cancer patients were classified into two cohorts: partial cystectomy or radical cystectomy. Cystectomy complications were identified during the cystectomy admission, short-term period, and long-term period. Complication-related utilization and cost outcomes were reported in aggregate during the cystectomy admission and per patient per month (PPPM) during the short-term and long-term follow-up periods.Results: Of 5136 patients who received a cystectomy, 488 (9.5%) received partial cystectomy and 4648 (90.5%) received radical cystectomy. The mean (SD) costs of complications during the cystectomy admission were $11,728 ($43,380) for radical cystectomy and $4657 ($25,668) for partial cystectomy. In the short-term period, PPPM complication-related healthcare costs were $638 [$3793] for partial cystectomy and $2681 [$14,705] for radical cystectomy. In the long-term period, PPPM complication-related healthcare costs were $544 [$2580] for partial cystectomy and $1619 [$7874] for radical cystectomy.Conclusions: Cystectomy-related complications, especially with radical cystectomy, present a substantial financial burden to patients and payers immediately after surgery as well as in the long term. Targeted interventions which improve clinical outcomes but reduce substantial costs associated with cystectomy for bladder cancer are needed.

Who should record surgical complications? Results from a third-party assessment of complications after radical cystectomy

Objective: In Sweden complications after radical cystectomy have been reported to the nationwide population-based Swedish Cystectomy Registry since 2011. Here, validation of the reporting was assessed in two healthcare regions.Materials and methods: Complications were ascertained from patient records by a third party not involved in the care delivered to 429 randomly selected patients from 949 who had undergone radical cystectomy since 2011 in four hospitals. Without knowledge of the outcome in the primary registration, post-operative complications within 90 days post-operatively were assessed by an independent review of patient charts, and the results were compared with the primary reports in the Swedish Cystectomy Registry.Results: The third-party assessment identified post-operative complications in 310 patients (72%). Low-grade complications (Clavien-Dindo I-II) were noted in 110 (26%) of the patients in the primary registration, but increased to 182 (42%) in the validation (p < 0.00001). High-grade complications (Clavien-Dindo III-V) were reported in 113 (26%) patients in the primary registration, but in 128 (30%) of the patients in the validation (p = 0.02). According to the third-party assessment, 18 patients (4%) had Clavien-Dindo grade IV complications and 12 (3%) died within 90 days of surgery (Clavien-Dindo grade V); corresponding values in the primary registration were 15 (3%) and 9 (2%), respectively. The readmission rate within 90 days increased from 27 to 32% in the validation (p < 0.00001).Conclusions: Compared with registry data, third-party assessment revealed more complications and readmissions after radical cystectomy. Hence such evaluation may improve the validity of reported complication data.

Pathological Profile, Early Complications, Functional and Oncological Outcome after Radical Cystectomy - Ileal Conduit for Bladder Cancer Patients in Sanglah General Hospital between January 2013 and December 2016

BACKGROUND:

Radical cystectomy is the standard treatment for nonmetastatic bladder cancer (muscle-invasive and selective superficial bladder cancer). There are many types of urinary diversion after this procedure; the ileal conduit is the most and simplest one.

AIM:

To asses clinical, pathological profile, early complication, functional and oncological outcome after radical cystectomy and ileal conduit for muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients.

METHOD:

Between January 2013 and December 2016, there were 68 patients diagnosed with bladder cancer. From those patients, 24 (35.29%) patients had been performed radical cystectomy with ileal conduit type for urinary diversion (100%). Patients demographic, clinical and pathological profile, early postoperative complication, functional and oncological outcome were collected from the medical record.

RESULT:

Among the 24 patients who underwent radical cystectomy, 20 patients were male (83.3%) with the mean age was 57.3 y.o (33–77 y.o). Twelve patients (50%) showed pT4 and pT2 respectively. Based on pathological result 20 patient (83.34%) had the urothelial carcinoma, three patients (12.5%) had squamous cell carcinoma, and one patient (4.1%) had adenocarcinoma. Two patients (8.3%) got neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and nine patient (37.5%) of patients followed adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery. Wound dehiscence, fistula enterocutan, prolong ileus, leakage anastomosis and sepsis were kind of complication after surgery. One year’s survival rate is 84%, mortality rate 20.8% and a recurrence rate of 20.8% in 4 years follow up.

CONCLUSION:

Radical cystectomy and ileal conduit type of urinary diversion still become the preferable procedure for nonmetastatic bladder cancer with good functional and oncological outcome.

Bladder Cancer Recovery Pathways: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Enhanced recovery pathways, also known as fast-track protocols, have been adopted since the early 2000s by various surgical specialties with the goal of improving patient outcomes and reducing the cost burden of major surgery on the health care system.

OBJECTIVE

To review the scientific literature on the origin of enhanced recovery pathways, track the contemporary utilization of such practices for patients undergoing radical cystectomy, and analyze the available data regarding their effect on morbidity, mortality, and treatment cost.

METHODS

A literature search of multiple electronic databases was undertaken. Manuscripts including patients undergoing radical cystectomy were chosen based on predefined criteria with an emphasis on randomized controlled trials and cohort studies. Strength of evidence for each study that met inclusion criteria was assessed based on the risk of bias, consistency, directness, and precision.

RESULTS

Database searches resulted in 1,236 potentially relevant articles. A total of 485 articles were selected for full-text dual review and 106 studies in 52 publications met the inclusion criteria.

CONCLUSION

The utilization of enhanced recovery pathways with the goal of improving overall patient morbidity and mortality is well supported in the literature, however standardization of implementation and adherence across institutions is lacking, and their direct efficacy on reducing preventable treatment related expenditures is unconfirmed.

Health care services utilization during the last 6 months of life among patients with bladder cancer who underwent radical cystectomy in Quebec, Canada

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

Management of bladder cancer imposes a great economic challenge on the health care system; with the greatest share of this burden attributed to radical cystectomy (RC) and prolonged postoperative follow-up. Our aim was to characterize health care services utilization and evaluate associated cost predictors during the last 6 months of life in patients who had RC.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study within a cohort of 2,988 patients who had RC from 2000 to 2009. Data were obtained from the Quebec health insurance medical services database. We included patients who deceased during the study period, and survived at least 6 months after the first 90 postoperative days. Services billing codes were used to retrieve hospital, outpatient and imaging services. Linear regression models were used to assess predictors of costs.

RESULTS

From the 1,355 patients who deceased during the study period, we analyzed data of 799 subjects. Men formed 77.3% and 52.8% of patients were between 60 and 75 years of age at the time of RC. In their last 6 months of life, 17.2% of patients had surgery for major urinary tract complications, 25% had chemotherapy whereas 27.6% had radiotherapy. Also, 3.5% of patients had hemodialysis. Imaging was performed in 94.6% of patients. Urologist (specialist) visits ranked first where 72.3% of patients had 3,481 visits (average = 6 visits/pt) followed by medical subspecialist where 69% of patients had 10,010 visits (average = 18 visits/pt). For supportive care, 97% of patients had 25,560 family physician visits (average = 31 visits/pt) whereas only 16% of them had highly specialized care. Services utilization kept increasing with time especially during the last 2 months before death. Post-RC complications were significant predictor associated with increased costs at all assessed services (P<0.0001).

CONCLUSION

Our study results suggest that health care services utilization varies in the assessed period. Urologists involvement in the process of care tends to decrease over time, in favor of other medical specialties, however, some health care services, such as highly specialized supportive care, may be underutilized.

The Danish Bladder Cancer Database

Aim of database

The aim of the Danish Bladder Cancer Database (DaBlaCa-data) is to monitor the treatment of all patients diagnosed with invasive bladder cancer (BC) in Denmark.

Study population

All patients diagnosed with BC in Denmark from 2012 onward were included in the study. Results presented in this paper are predominantly from the 2013 population.

Main variables

In 2013, 970 patients were diagnosed with BC in Denmark and were included in a preliminary report from the database. A total of 458 (47%) patients were diagnosed with non-muscle-invasive BC (non-MIBC) and 512 (53%) were diagnosed with muscle-invasive BC (MIBC). A total of 300 (31%) patients underwent cystectomy. Among the 135 patients diagnosed with MIBC, who were 75 years of age or younger, 67 (50%) received neoadjuvent chemotherapy prior to cystectomy. In 2013, a total of 147 patients were treated with curative-intended radiation therapy.

Descriptive data

One-year mortality was 28% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15–21). One-year cancer-specific mortality was 25% (95% CI: 22–27%). One-year mortality after cystectomy was 14% (95% CI: 10–18). Ninety-day mortality after cystectomy was 3% (95% CI: 1–5) in 2013. One-year mortality following curative-intended radiation therapy was 32% (95% CI: 24–39) and 1-year cancer-specific mortality was 23% (95% CI: 16–31) in 2013.

Conclusion

This preliminary DaBlaCa-data report showed that the treatment of MIBC in Denmark overall meet high international academic standards. The database is able to identify Danish BC patients and monitor treatment and mortality. In the future, DaBlaCa-data will be a valuable data source and expansive observational studies on BC will be available.

Efficacy and Safety of Stroke Volume Variation-Guided Fluid Therapy for Reducing Blood Loss and Transfusion Requirements During Radical Cystectomy: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Radical cystectomy, which is performed to treat muscle-invasive bladder tumors, is among the most difficult urological surgical procedures and puts patients at risk of intraoperative blood loss and transfusion. Fluid management via stroke volume variation (SVV) is associated with reduced intraoperative blood loss. Therefore, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of SVV-guided fluid therapy for reducing blood loss and transfusion requirements in patients undergoing radical cystectomy.This study included 48 patients who underwent radical cystectomy, and these patients were randomly allocated to the control group and maintained at <10% SVV (n = 24) or allocated to the trial group and maintained at 10% to 20% SVV (n = 24). The primary endpoints were comparisons of the amounts of intraoperative blood loss and transfused red blood cells (RBCs) between the control and trial groups during radical cystectomy. Intraoperative blood loss was evaluated through the estimated blood loss and estimated red cell mass loss. The secondary endpoints were comparisons of the postoperative outcomes between groups.A total of 46 patients were included in the final analysis: 23 patients in the control group and 23 patients in the trial group. The SVV values in the trial group were significantly higher than in the control group. Estimated blood loss, estimated red cell mass loss, and RBC transfusion requirements in the trial group were significantly lower than in the control group (734.3 ± 321.5 mL vs 1096.5 ± 623.9 mL, P = 0.019; 274.1 ± 207.8 mL vs 553.1 ± 298.7 mL, P <0.001; 0.5 ± 0.8 units vs 1.9 ± 2.2 units, P = 0.005). There were no significant differences in postoperative outcomes between the two groups.SVV-guided fluid therapy (SVV maintained at 10%-20%) can reduce blood loss and transfusion requirements in patients undergoing radical cystectomy without resulting in adverse outcomes. These findings provide useful information for optimal fluid management during radical cystectomy.

The health economics of bladder cancer: an updated review of the published literature

The purpose of this paper is to provide a current view of the economic burden of bladder cancer, with a focus on the cost effectiveness of available interventions. This review updates a previous systematic review and includes 72 new papers published between 2000 and 2013. Bladder cancer continues to be one of the most common and expensive malignancies. The annual cost of bladder cancer in the USA during 2010 was $US4 billion and is expected to rise to $US5 billion by 2020. Ten years ago, urinary markers held the potential to lower treatment costs of bladder cancer. However, subsequent real-world experiments have demonstrated that further work is necessary to identify situations in which these technologies can be applied in a cost-effective manner. Adjunct cytology remains a part of diagnostic standard of care, but recent research suggests that it is not cost effective due to its low diagnostic yield. Analysis of intravesical chemotherapy after transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT), neo-adjuvant therapy for cystectomy, and robot-assisted laparoscopic cystectomy suggests that these technologies are cost effective and should be implemented more widely for appropriate patients. The existing literature on the cost effectiveness of bladder cancer treatments has improved substantially since 2000. The body of work now includes many new models, registry analyses, and real-world studies. However, there is still a need for new implementation guidelines, new risk modeling tools, and a better understanding of the empirical burden of bladder cancer.

The economics of bladder cancer: costs and considerations of caring for this disease

CONTEXT

Due to high recurrence rates, intensive surveillance strategies, and expensive treatment costs, the management of bladder cancer contributes significantly to medical costs.

OBJECTIVE

To provide a concise evaluation of contemporary cost-related challenges in the care of patients with bladder cancer. An emphasis is placed on the initial diagnosis of bladder cancer and therapy considerations for both non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and more advanced disease.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

A systematic review of the literature was performed using Medline (1966 to February 2011). Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms for search criteria included "bladder cancer, neoplasms" OR "carcinoma, transitional cell" AND all cost-related MeSH search terms. Studies evaluating the costs associated with of various diagnostic or treatment approaches were reviewed.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Routine use of perioperative chemotherapy following complete transurethral resection of bladder tumor has been estimated to provide a cost savings. Routine office-based fulguration of small low-grade recurrences could decrease costs. Another potential important target for decreasing variation and cost lies in risk-modified surveillance strategies after initial bladder tumor removal to reduce the cost associated with frequent cystoscopic and radiographic procedures. Optimizing postoperative care after radical cystectomy has the potential to decrease length of stay and perioperative morbidity with substantial decreases in perioperative care expenses. The gemcitabine-cisplatin regimen has been estimated to result in a modest increase in cost effectiveness over methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin. Additional costs of therapies need to be balanced with effectiveness, and there are significant gaps in knowledge regarding optimal surveillance and treatment of both early and advanced bladder cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Regardless of disease severity, improvements in the efficiency of bladder cancer care to limit unnecessary interventions and optimize effective cancer treatment can reduce overall health care costs. Two scenarios where economic and comparative-effectiveness research is limited but would be most beneficial are (1) the management of NMIBC patients where excessive costs are due to vigilant surveillance strategies and (2) in patients with metastatic disease due to the enormous cost associated with late-stage and end-of-life care.

Cost benefits of intraoperative cell salvage in radical cystectomy

Objective:

We have looked into the clinical and financial benefits of using intra-operative cell salvage (ICS) as a method to reduce the amount of autologous blood transfusion (ABT) requirement for our radical cystectomy (RC) patients.

Materials and Methods:

Fifteen consecutive patients undergoing radical cystectomy received cell salvaged blood (ICS), while 15 did not (NCS). The cost of using the cell saver, number of homologous transfusions, survival, and recurrences were recorded and compared using paired t-test and chi-square test between the two groups. A Dideco Electa® (Sorin Group, Electa, Italy) cell saver machine was used for all the patients in the ICS group and leukocyte filters were used on the salvaged blood before the autologous transfusion.

Results:

The mean age was 63 years (53–72 years), 66 years (46–79 years) in ICS and NCS groups, respectively (P = 0.368). All 15 (100%) patients in the NCS group required an allogenic transfusion compared to 9/15 (60%) in the ICS group (P = 0.08). There was a significant reduction in the mean volume of allogenic blood transfused with the use of cell saver. Median follow-up was 23 and 21 months in the ICS and NCS group with 10 and 4 patients alive at last follow-up, respectively. There was a saving of 355 pounds per patient in the ICS group compared to the NCS group.

Conclusion:

Our initial study shows that cell savage is feasible and safe in patients undergoing radical cystectomy. It does not adversely affect the medium term outcome of patients undergoing RC and is also cost effective.

Healthcare economics of bladder cancer: cost-enhancing and cost-reducing factors

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The diagnosis and treatment of bladder cancer represents a significant financial burden to the population in the United States. Therapeutic advances in bladder cancer care have come at a high cost to payers, providers, and patients. This study describes the principals of cost-effectiveness evaluation in healthcare and provides recommendations for a more economical use of resources in bladder cancer care.

RECENT FINDINGS

Although several studies have demonstrated that bladder cancer is a common disease associated with substantial economic burden for patients and society, the evidence supporting the cost-effectiveness of many interventions in bladder cancer care is limited and of insufficient quality. In addition, very little is known about quality of life, the preferred outcome measure for economic evaluations, associated with bladder cancer states and treatments. Moreover, current clinical guidelines for bladder cancer care do not incorporate economic factors when evaluating clinical pathways.

SUMMARY

Although cost-effectiveness studies in bladder cancer could allow us to know how healthcare dollars are being spent and assist in determining more effective ways to allocate resources, most of the currently used interventions have not undergone economic assessment.