Facilitating biomedical researchers' interrogation of electronic health record data: Ideas from outside of biomedical informatics.

Electronic health records (EHR) are a vital data resource for research uses, including cohort identification, phenotyping, pharmacovigilance, and public health surveillance. To realize the promise of EHR data for accelerating clinical research, it is imperative to enable efficient and autonomous EHR data interrogation by end users such as biomedical researchers. This paper surveys state-of-art approaches and key methodological considerations to this purpose. We adapted a previously published conceptual framework for interactive information retrieval, which defines three entities: user, channel, and source, by elaborating on channels for query formulation in the context of facilitating end users to interrogate EHR data. We show the current progress in biomedical informatics mainly lies in support for query execution and information modeling, primarily due to emphases on infrastructure development for data integration and data access via self-service query tools, but has neglected user support needed during iteratively query formulation processes, which can be costly and error-prone. In contrast, the information science literature has offered elaborate theories and methods for user modeling and query formulation support. The two bodies of literature are complementary, implying opportunities for cross-disciplinary idea exchange. On this basis, we outline the directions for future informatics research to improve our understanding of user needs and requirements for facilitating autonomous interrogation of EHR data by biomedical researchers. We suggest that cross-disciplinary translational research between biomedical informatics and information science can benefit our research in facilitating efficient data access in life sciences.

Delay from biopsy to radical prostatectomy influences the rate of adverse pathologic outcomes.

BACKGROUND: We sought to determine maximum wait times between biopsy diagnosis and surgery for localized prostate cancer, beyond which the rate of adverse pathologic outcomes is increased. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 4,610 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy between 1990 and 2011. Patients were stratified by biopsy Gleason score and PSA value. For each stratification, χ2 analysis was used to determine the smallest 15-day multiple of surgical delay (e.g., 15, 30, 45…180 days) for which adverse pathologic outcomes were significantly more likely after the time interval than before. Adverse outcomes were defined as positive surgical margins, upgrading from biopsy, upstaging, seminal vesicle invasion, or positive lymph nodes. RESULTS: Two thousand two hundred twelve patients met inclusion criteria. Median delay was 64 days (mean 76, SD 47). One thousand six hundred seventy-five (75.7%), 537 (24.3%), and 60 (2.7%) patients had delays of <=90, >90, and >180 days, respectively. Twenty-six percent were upgraded on final pathology and 23% were upstaged. The positive surgical margin rate was 24.2% and the positive lymph node rate was 1.1%. Significant increases in the proportion of adverse pathological outcomes were found beyond 75 days in the overall cohort (P = 0.03), 150 days for patients with Gleason <=6, and PSA 0-10 (P = 0.038), 60 days for patients with Gleason 7 and PSA >20 (P = 0.032), and 30 days for patients with Gleason 8-10 and PSA 11-20 (0.041). CONCLUSION: In low-risk disease, there is a considerable but not unlimited surgical delay which will not adversely impact the rate of adverse pathologic features found. In higher risk disease, this time period is considerably shorter.

The role of preoperative prostatic urethral biopsy in clinical decision-making at the time of radical cystectomy.

INTRODUCTION: Involvement of the prostatic urethra by bladder cancer directly impacts prognosis, risk of urethral recurrence, and timing of radical cystectomy (RC); it also affects the type of urinary diversion chosen. Both cold cup biopsies and transurethral (TUR) loop biopsies have been used to evaluate the status of the prostatic urethra. We report our 20 year experience with preoperative and intro-operative prostatic urethral biopsies in order to determine relative efficacy and associated treatment implications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Columbia University urologic oncology database was reviewed and yielded 234 men who underwent preoperative endoscopic biopsies of the prostatic urethra before RC between 1990 and 2010. Two techniques were described: 1) cold cup biopsy, and 2) TUR loop biopsy. We evaluated the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values for these respective techniques relative to the final pathological status of the prostatic urethra (PU) in the RC specimen. RESULTS: Of the 234 urethral biopsies 115 (49.1%) were cold cup and 96 (41.1%) were TUR loop biopsies. In the remaining 9.8% of patients, the technique could not be determined. Eighty-one preoperative biopsies (34.6%) revealed involvement of the urethra. No differences were observed in predictive values, sensitivity, and specificity between the two preoperative techniques. The negative predictive value (NPV) was higher than positive predictive value (PPV) for both preoperative approaches. Thirty-eight patients (16.2%) had a urethral frozen section analysis done intra-operatively. Only 1 patient (3%) had an abnormality on frozen section, being the negative predictive value (NPV) higher than the positive predictive value (PPV) for the test's ability to predict the status of the final urethral margin. Urethrectomy was performed at cystectomy in 52 patients with a positive biopsy; 15 (28.8%) of these patients ultimately had a negative PU on final pathology. Only 2/182 (1%) of the patients with an intact urethra presented with a urethral recurrence with a median follow up of 30.5 months. CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative prostatic urethral biopsy does not adequately predict final prostatic urethral status at radical cystectomy. No differences in predictive capacity could be detected with either cold cup biopsy or TUR biopsy. Intra-operative biopsy of the prostatic urethra is predictive of a negative urethral margin. Simultaneous radical urethrectomy should not be performed based up on preoperative prostatic urethral biopsy results alone.

The Impact of American Board of Urology Certification on Postoperative Outcomes for Patients in New York State.

INTRODUCTION: Our goal was to determine if board certification status was associated with improved postoperative outcomes for certain urologic oncology operations. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients aged 65 and over having radical prostatectomy (RP), radical cystectomy (RC), and radical or partial nephrectomy (RPN) by surgeons with New York State licenses from 2015 to 2021 using the Medicare limited dataset. Our primary exposure was surgeon American Board of Urology certification determined by the New York State Physician Profile. All surgeons were in practice for at least 5 years. Our primary outcomes were 90-day mortality, 30-day unplanned readmission, and hospital length of stay (LOS). We used multivariable linear and logistic regression adjusted for surgeon, hospital, and patient characteristics. We performed the analysis in R, and 2-sided P values < .05 were considered statistically significant. RESULTS: We identified 12,601 patients who had a procedure performed. At the time of the procedure, a minority of procedures (1.3%) were performed by nonboard-certified (NBC) urologists. Among the patient cohort, there were 262 and 1419 mortality and readmission events, respectively; median LOS was 2 days (interquartile range 1155). Patients operated on by NBC urologists tended to have lower-volume surgeons who were less likely to be fellowship trained and to have surgery at smaller hospitals. Patients treated by NBC urologists were more likely to have RP, and less likely to have RC and RPN. On multivariate analysis, board certification was protective against readmission for RP (P < .001) and RC (P = .02), longer LOS for RC (P = .001), and mortality for RPN (P = .008). CONCLUSIONS: Urology board certification was associated with fewer readmissions after RP and RC, a shorter LOS after RC, and a lower risk of mortality after RPN. Given low event numbers, these findings require validation with a larger dataset.

Pathological confirmation of nerve-sparing types performed during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

UNLABELLED: WHAT'S KNOWN ON THE SUBJECT? AND WHAT DOES THE STUDY ADD?: Incremental nerve-sparing techniques (NSTs) improve postoperative erectile function after robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP). However, there are no studies to date that histologically confirm the surgeon intended NST. Thus, in the present study, we histologically confirmed that the surgeon performed the nerve preservation as his intended NSTs during RARP. Also, we found that there was more variability in fascia width outcome on the left side compared with the right. Therefore, when performing nerve preservation on the surgeon's non-dominant side, we need to pay more close attention. OBJECTIVES: To confirm that the surgeon achieved true intended histological nerve sparing during robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) by studying RP specimens. To aid the novice robotic surgeon to develop the skills of RARP. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between June 2008 and May 2009, 122 consecutive patients underwent RARP by a single surgeon (K.K.B.). The degree of nerve sparing (wide resection [WR], interfascial nerve sparing [ITE-NS], intrafascial nerve sparing [ITR-NS]) on both sides was recorded. The posterior sectors of RP specimens from distal, mid, and proximal parts were evaluated. Fascia width (FW) of each position in RP specimens were compared across nerve-sparing types (NSTs). FW was recorded at 15 ° intervals (3-9 o'clock position), measured as the distance between the outermost prostate gland and surgical margin. The slides were reviewed by an experienced uropathologist who was 'blinded' to the NST. RESULTS: In all, 93 men were included. The overall mean (sd) FW was the greatest in the order of WR, ITE-NS, and ITR-NS, at 2.42 (1.62), 1.71 (1.40) and 1.16 (1.08) mm, respectively (P < 0.001). FW was statistically significantly correlated with the surgical technique used. When the surgeon intended to perform various levels of nerve sparing, these were reflected in the FW. Interestingly, the left-side FW showed more variability than the right side. We suspect that this was a result of the surgeon's right-hand dominance. Erectile function (EF) recovery rate according to NST was 88.9%, 77.3%, 65.6%, 56.3%, and 0% in bilateral ITR-NS, ITR-NS/ITE-NS, bilateral ITE-NS, ITE-NS/WR, and bilateral WR, respectively. To further validate and confirm these preliminary findings, additional studies involving multicentre cohorts would be required. CONCLUSIONS: The surgeon intended dissection and FW correlate, with ITR-NS providing the narrowest FW and the EF recovery rate was the highest in bilateral ITR-NS. There was more variability in FW outcome on the left side than the right. The novice robotic surgeon should consider this variability when performing RARP. It may have implications for technique improvement on nerve preservation for EF.

An Integrated Model for Patient Care and Clinical Trials (IMPACT) to support clinical research visit scheduling workflow for future learning health systems.

We describe a clinical research visit scheduling system that can potentially coordinate clinical research visits with patient care visits and increase efficiency at clinical sites where clinical and research activities occur simultaneously. Participatory Design methods were applied to support requirements engineering and to create this software called Integrated Model for Patient Care and Clinical Trials (IMPACT). Using a multi-user constraint satisfaction and resource optimization algorithm, IMPACT automatically synthesizes temporal availability of various research resources and recommends the optimal dates and times for pending research visits. We conducted scenario-based evaluations with 10 clinical research coordinators (CRCs) from diverse clinical research settings to assess the usefulness, feasibility, and user acceptance of IMPACT. We obtained qualitative feedback using semi-structured interviews with the CRCs. Most CRCs acknowledged the usefulness of IMPACT features. Support for collaboration within research teams and interoperability with electronic health records and clinical trial management systems were highly requested features. Overall, IMPACT received satisfactory user acceptance and proves to be potentially useful for a variety of clinical research settings. Our future work includes comparing the effectiveness of IMPACT with that of existing scheduling solutions on the market and conducting field tests to formally assess user adoption.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of muscle invasive bladder cancer with mixed histology.

INTRODUCTION: We examined the effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NC) in the treatment of muscle invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder in those with mixed histology (MH) versus those with pure urothelial carcinoma (UC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2000-2012, 195 patients were identified with clinical stage T2-T4, N0-Nx, M0-Mx UCB who had either NC (+/- radical cystectomy) (n = 63) or radical cystectomy (RC) alone (n = 132). Tumors were classified as either pure UC or MH. Endpoints included downstaging to pT0 and overall survival. Multivariable Cox regression and the Kaplan-Meier method were used to estimate the effects of histological type and treatment given on overall mortality. RESULTS: The rate of downstaging to pT0 was higher in NC treated patients with both MH (p = 0.048) and pure UC (p < 0.0001), as compared to those in each group who did not receive NC. NC was not a significant predictor of overall survival for MH patients in a Cox multivariate model (p = 0.54). However, among all patients treated with NC, MH was found to be a predictor of poorer survival compared to UC (p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Prior evidence on the benefits of NC for patients with MH is mixed, but our data suggests that there is improvement in rate of pT0 on final pathology in those treated with NC, regardless of histology. Although patients with MH fare worse than those with pure UC in the setting of NC, given the significantly higher rate of pT0 at final pathology, strong consideration should be given to use of NC in the treatment of MH muscle invasive bladder cancer patients.

Inconsistent Surgical Implant Documentation: A Case Study in Total Knee and Hip Arthroplasty.

Value-based care initiatives require accurate quantification of resource utilization. This study explores hospital resource documentation performance for total knee and hip arthroplasty (TKA, THA) implants and how this may differ between hospitals. This retrospective study utilized the Premier discharge database, years 2006 to 2020. TKA/THA cases were categorized into 5 tiers based upon the completeness of implant component documentation: Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Poor. Correlation between TKA and THA documentation performance (per-hospital percentage of Platinum cases) was assessed. Logistic regression analyses measured the association between hospital characteristics (region, teaching status, bed size, urban/rural) and satisfactory documentation. TKA/THA implant documentation performance was compared to documentation for endovascular stent procedures. Individual hospitals tended to have very complete (Platinum) or very incomplete (Poor) documentation for both TKA and THA. TKA and THA documentation performance were correlated (correlation coefficient = .70). Teaching hospitals were less likely to have satisfactory documentation for both TKA (P = .002) and THA (P = .029). Documentation for endovascular stent procedures was superior compared to TKA/THA. Hospitals' TKA and THA-related implant documentation performance is generally either very proficient or very poor, in contrast with often well-documented endovascular stent procedures. Hospital characteristics, other than teaching status, do not appear to impact TKA/THA documentation completeness.

Does absolute neutrophil count predict high tumor grade in African-American men with prostate cancer?

BACKGROUND: African-Americans (AA) are at risk for benign ethnic neutropenia (BEN), which has been implicated as a potential source of disparity in cancer outcomes among AAs. Since AAs with prostate cancer (PCa) are more likely to have aggressive pathological features, this investigation sought to determine if absolute neutrophil count (ANC) is associated with adverse pathologic findings at radical prostatectomy (RP) within a cohort of AA men. METHODS: A single-institution, retrospective review was conducted of all AA patients undergoing RP who had a pre-operative CBC with differential and known RP pathology. Neutropenia was defined as ANC ≤1.5 × 10(9) /L (1.5). Clinical and pathologic variables were characterized for the study cohort, and Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analyses performed to evaluate the association between ANC and adverse pathology. RESULTS: A total of 336 patients were included, and 18 patients (5.4%) had ANC ≤1.5. Mean age was 59.8 ± 7.5 years; mean follow-up time 47.4 ± 43.3 months. Neutropenic patients had significantly higher clinical stages and pathologic Gleason scores (P < 0.05). On multivariable analysis, ANC ≤1.5 was significantly predictive of high tumor grade (HR 1.22, CI 1.01-1.48). CONCLUSIONS: Neutropenia in AAs predicts high tumor grade at prostatectomy. Further studies are necessary to further characterize the importance of these findings with regard to the pathogenesis of PCa, particularly as it relates to the AA population.

Comparison of biochemical failure definitions for predicting local cancer recurrence following cryoablation of the prostate.

BACKGROUND: Various definitions of biochemical failure (BF) have been used to predict cancer recurrence following prostate cryoablation. However to date, none of these definitions have been validated for this use. We have reviewed several definitions of BF to determine their accuracy in predicting biopsy-proven local recurrence following prostate cryoablation. METHODS: The Columbia University Urologic Oncology Database was queried for patients who underwent prostate cryoablation between 1994 and 2010, and who subsequently underwent surveillance biopsy due to clinical suspicion of prostate cancer recurrence. Serial postoperative prostate-specific antigen (PSA) results were used to determine BF according to various definitions of BF. Biopsy results were used to determine local recurrence. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve area were calculated for each of the BF definitions. RESULTS: A total of 110 patients met inclusion criteria for the study. These patients were treated with primary full-gland (n = 38), primary focal (n = 24), or salvage cryoablation (n = 48). On surveillance biopsy, 66 patients (60%) were found to have locally recurrent prostate cancer. The most accurate BF definition overall was PSA nadir plus 2 ng/ml (Phoenix definition), with sensitivity, specificity, and ROC curve area of 68%, 59%, and 0.64, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the Phoenix definition best predicted local cancer recurrence following prostate cryoablation. These preliminary data may be useful for researchers evaluating the short-term efficacy of cryoablation, and for urologists assessing their patients for potential cancer recurrence.

Dysregulation of circulating microRNAs and prediction of aggressive prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: It is becoming increasingly evident that microRNAs (miRNAs) are associated with the development and progression of prostate cancer (PCa). METHODS: We examined the hypothesis that plasma miRNA levels can differentiate patients by aggressiveness in 82 PCa patients. Taqman based quantitative RT-PCR assays were performed to measure copy number of target miRNAs. RESULTS: miR-20a was significantly overexpressed in plasma from patients with stage 3 tumors compared to stage 2 or below (P = 0.03). The expression levels for miR-20a and miR-21 were significantly increased in patients with high risk CAPRA scores (16,623 and 1,595 copies, respectively). Significantly increased miR-21 and miR-145 expression were observed for patients with intermediate or high risk D'Amico scores compared to patients with low risk scores (P = 0.047 and 0.011, respectively). The relapse rates for CAPRA scores ranged from 1.9% for low risk to 9.5% for intermediate risk and to 22.2% for high risk patients (P = 0.023). For D'Amico scores, the relapse rates ranged from 0.0% for low risk to 7.4% for intermediate risk and 17.6% for high risk patients (P = 0.039). Expression of miR-21 and miR-221 significantly differentiated patients with intermediate risk from those with low risk CAPRA scores (AUC = 0.801, P = 0.002). Four miRNAs (miR-20a, miR-21, miR-145, and miR-221) could also distinguish high versus low risk in PCa patients by D'Amico score with an AUC of 0.824. CONCLUSIONS: These preliminary data suggest that altered plasma miRNAs may be useful predictors to distinguish PCa patients with varied aggressiveness. Further larger studies to validate this promising finding are warranted.

A comparison of the outcomes of neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy for clinical T2-T4aN0-N2M0 bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: Despite evidence supporting perioperative chemotherapy, few randomized studies compare neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy for bladder cancer. Consequently, the standard of care regarding the timing of chemotherapy for locally advanced bladder cancer remains controversial. We compared patient outcomes following neoadjuvant or adjuvant systemic chemotherapy for cT2-T4aN0-N2M0 bladder cancer. METHODS: In a retrospective review of a single institutional database from 1988 through 2009, we identified patients receiving neoadjuvant or adjuvant multiagent platinum-based systemic chemotherapy for locally advanced bladder cancer. Survival analysis was performed comparing disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: A total of 146 patients received systemic perioperative chemotherapy (73 neoadjuvant, 73 adjuvant). Of these, 84% (122/146) received cisplatin-based chemotherapy compared with carboplatin-based chemotherapy (24/146, 16.4%). Most patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy were treated with methotrexate/vinblastine/adriamycin/cisplatin (79/122, 64.8%), whereas the remaining patients received gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC) (43/122, 35.2%). In multivariable analysis, there was no significant difference in DSS (P = .46) or OS (P = .76) between neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy groups. There was statistically significant improvement in DSS when patients received neoadjuvant GC rather than adjuvant GC (P = .049, hazard ratio, 10.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-112.2). CONCLUSION: In this study, there was no statistically significant difference in OS and DSS between patients receiving neoadjuvant versus adjuvant systemic platinum-based chemotherapy for locally advanced bladder cancer. In addition, there was no significant difference between neoadjuvant and adjuvant cisplatin- or carboplatin-based chemotherapy. Chemotherapy sequence relative to surgery appeared less important than whether or not a patient actually received perioperative chemotherapy.

Diagnostic radiation exposure risk in a contemporary cohort of male patients with germ cell tumor.

PURPOSE: We determined the total amount of diagnostic radiation that a patient with testicular cancer receives during the course of treatment and the associated risk of secondary malignancy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: At a single institution 119 men with seminomatous and nonseminomatous germ cell tumors of the testis were retrospectively identified. Annual and lifetime exposure to radiation was determined for each histological subtype. Values were assessed for compliance with International Commission of Radiological Protection guidelines. RESULTS: The cohorts included 55 patients with seminomatous and 64 with nonseminomatous germ cell tumor. Between the groups no difference was found in the lifetime (215.5 and 214.1 mSV, p = 0.96) or the annual (104.6 and 104.6 mSV, respectively, p = 1.0) radiation dose. Of the 41 patients with more than 5-year followup 32 (78%) were in violation of guidelines by exceeding 20 mSV per year of radiation. Also, 74 patients (61.7%) received 50 mSV or greater of radiation during a 1-year period. Using the previously calculated excess relative risk for solid cancer and leukemia, excluding chronic lymphocytic leukemia, the RR was 1.06 and 1.33, [corrected] respectively, with a 2.1% lifetime risk of fatal cancer over the baseline risk. CONCLUSIONS: At a tertiary care center with experience with managing testicular cancer 78% of patients with more than 5 years of followup exceeded current national and standard safety limits for radiation exposure. Imaging should be done judiciously in this population at high risk for radiation overexposure.

Partial nephrectomy online: a preliminary evaluation of the quality of health information on the Internet.

UNLABELLED: What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? Patients are highly likely to access the Internet for health information, and studies have reported that inaccurate or low-quality information may alter patients' expectations and negatively impact informed decision-making. In a unique collaboration with the Health On the Internet (HON) Foundation, we evaluated the top 20 search results for the urology search term 'partial nephrectomy,' and identified the highest and lowest scoring criteria to increase awareness of areas of concern and improvement. OBJECTIVE: To further evaluate the quality of information available on the Internet with regard to the management of localized renal cancer, we evaluated websites providing information on 'partial nephrectomy' in conjunction with the Health On the Internet (HON) Foundation. Many patients now utilize the Internet as a resource to provide further information on disease, treatments and outcomes, and health information on the Internet is largely unregulated. Inaccurate information may contribute to unrealistic expectations and dissatisfied patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A google.com search identified the top 30 websites for the search term 'partial nephrectomy'. The HON Foundation evaluated each website according to the eight principles for Health on the Internet code of conduct (HONcode) certification and reported the overall frequency of certification, as well as individual website compliance with each of the principles. RESULTS: Overall, seven (23.3%) of 30 websites met the requirements of HONcode certification and an additional two (6.7%) websites were under review to maintain their certification based on updating their resources. The remaining 21 (70%) websites did not meet the standards for certification. The lowest performing criteria included proper citation of medical information and a clear distinction of advertising from editorial content. CONCLUSIONS: The low rate of HONcode compliance for these websites illustrates the poor quality of information that patients may encounter when researching options for nephron-sparing surgery, which may have a significant impact on patient decision-making and treatment choices. Physicians should be aware of the quality of Internet resources and how to best use these tools to help guide patients to websites with valid information.

Prognostic indicators for upper tract urothelial carcinoma after radical nephroureterectomy: the impact of lymphovascular invasion.

UNLABELLED: What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? In an array of urological and non-urological malignancies, lymphovascular invasion (LVI) is a pathological feature known to be associated with adverse outcomes for recurrence and survival. For some cancers, LVI has therefore been incorporated into American Joint Committee on Cancer TNM staging algorithms. This study presents an analysis of the impact of LVI in upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) treated at our institution over a 20-year period. In addition to known associations with features of aggressive disease and overall survival, we were able to show that LVI-positive status upsets the TNM staging for UTUC. Namely, patients with superficial stage and LVI-positive disease have overall survival outcomes similar to those of patients with muscle-invasive LVI-negative carcinoma. Such evidence may support the addition of LVI to future TNM staging algorithms for UTUC. OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of lymphovascular invasion (LVI) on the prognosis of patients with upper urinary tract urothelial cell carcinoma (UTUC) treated with radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The Columbia University Medical Center Urologic Oncology database was queried and 211 patients undergoing RNU for UTUC between 1990 and 2010 were identified. These cases were retrospectively reviewed, and the prognostic significance of relevant clinical and pathological variables was analysed using log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazards regression models. Actuarial survival curves were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: LVI was observed in 68 patients (32.2%). The proportion of LVI increased with advancing stage, high grade, positive margin status, concomitant carcinoma in situ, and lymph node metastases. The 5- and 10-year overall survival rates were 74.7% and 53.1% in the absence of LVI, and 35.7% and 28.6% in the presence of LVI, respectively. In multivariate analysis, age, race and LVI were independent predictors of overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of LVI on pathological review of RNU specimens was associated with worse overall survival in patients with UTUC. LVI status should be included in the pathological report for RNU specimens to help guide postoperative therapeutic options. With confirmation from large international studies, inclusion of LVI in the tumour-node-metastasis staging system for UTUC should be considered.

Tumour diameter and decreased preoperative estimated glomerular filtration rate are independently correlated in patients with renal cell carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between tumour diameter and estimated GFR (eGFR) in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In total, 1009 patients undergoing partial or radical nephrectomy for unilateral RCC were identified in the Columbia Urologic Database. eGFR was calculated using the modification of diet in renal disease equation using demographic data and preoperative serum creatinine values. Data on patient demographics, tumour characteristics, and comorbidities were analyzed using univariate and multivariate regression analysis. RESULTS: Mean (sd, range) tumour diameter was 5.29 (3.8, 0.3-29) cm. Mean (sd, range) eGFR was 75 (23.4, 3-173) mL/min per 1.73 m(2) . In multivariate regression analysis, tumour diameter independently predicted decreased preoperative eGFR (coefficient, -0.513; P= 0.008) when controlling for hypertension and race. Consistent with this, decreased preoperative eGFR independently predicted increased tumour diameter (coefficient, -0.013; P= 0.007) when controlling for race, histology and smoking status. CONCLUSION: Tumour diameter and decreased preoperative eGFR are independently correlated in patients with RCC.

Immediate radical cystectomy vs conservative management for high grade cT1 bladder cancer: is there a survival difference?

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a survival difference exists between patients with high grade (HG) cT1 urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) receiving immediate radical cystectomy (IRC) as opposed to those choosing bladder-sparing therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Between January 1990 and August 2010, 349 patients were retrospectively identified with a diagnosis of HG cT1 UCC of the bladder. Patients were divided into two groups: those who underwent IRC and those treated with conservative management (CM), consisting of transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (TURBT) and intravesical therapy. IRC was defined as surgery within 90 days of HG cT1 diagnosis with no intervening transurethral resection (TUR) or intravesical therapy (IVT). Trends in patient selection and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were analyzed over consecutive decades. The primary outcome was to compare CSS among patients during consecutive decades whereby management paradigms shifted from IRC to CM. The secondary outcome was to examine whether patient selection changed over time for each respective intervention. RESULTS: One hundred and thirteen patients underwent IRC and 236 had CM. From 1990 to 1999, only 90 patients were diagnosed with HG cT1 disease, and a majority of patients (n= 54) underwent IRC. From 2000 to 2010, only 23% (59/259) of the patients with HG cT1 underwent IRC. Despite 42.3% more patients successfully maintaining their bladder in the long-term, no difference in 5 year bladder CSS was noted between decades (77% vs 80% consecutively, P= 0.566). A subset analysis of risk factors for bladder cancer progression/recurrence demonstrated more patients with lymphovascular invasion (LVI) on TUR underwent IRC in the current era (13/59 (22.0%) vs 13/200 (6.5%), P < 0.001). These findings remain to be validated in prospective work at other institutions. CONCLUSION: Conservative management strategies are a viable treatment option within a well selected subset of patients with HG cT1 UCC.

Effect of delaying surgery on radical prostatectomy outcomes: a contemporary analysis.

UNLABELLED: Study Type - Therapy (case series). Level of Evidence 4. What's known on the subject? and What does the study add? For patients electing surgical treatment, the question of the effect of surgical delay on clinical outcomes in prostate cancer is controversial. In this study we examined the effect of delay from diagnosis to surgery on outcomes in men with localized prostate cancer and found no association between time to surgery and risk of biochemical recurrence, even for patients with longer delays and high-risk disease. Men with localized prostate cancer can be reassured that reasonable delays in treatment will not influence disease outcomes. OBJECTIVE: • To examine the effect of time from last positive biopsy to surgery on clinical outcomes in men with localized prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP). PATIENTS AND METHODS: • We conducted a retrospective review of 2739 men who underwent RP between 1990 and 2009 at our institution. • Clinical and pathological features were compared between men undergoing RP ≤ 60, 61-90 and >90 days from the time of prostate biopsy. • A Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyse the association between clinical features and surgical delay with biochemical progression. Biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free rates were assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: • Of the 1568 men meeting the inclusion criteria, 1098 (70%), 303 (19.3%) and 167 (10.7%) had a delay of ≤ 60, 61-90 and >90 days, respectively, between biopsy and RP. A delay of >60 days was not associated with adverse pathological findings at surgery. • The 5-year survival rate was similar among the three groups (78-85%, P= 0.11). • In a multivariate Cox model, men with higher PSA levels, clinical stages, Gleason sums, and those of African-American race were all at higher risk for developing BCR. • A delay to surgery of >60 days was not associated with worse biochemical outcomes in a univariate and multivariate model. CONCLUSIONS: • A delay of >60 days is not associated with adverse pathological outcomes in men with localized prostate cancer, nor does it correlate with worse BCR-free survival. • Patients can be assured that delaying treatment while considering therapeutic options will not adversely affect their outcomes.

The impact of perioperative blood transfusion on survival following radical cystectomy for urothelial carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Perioperative blood transfusion (PBT) has been shown to contribute to cancer progression and mortality. This study sought to determine the impact of PBT during radical cystectomy on cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Columbia University Urologic Oncology Database was reviewed for patients who underwent a RC from 1989 to 2010 (n = 638). PBT was defined as non-autologous packed red blood cells (PRBC) received during the same hospital stay as the radical cystectomy. Clinical and pathological variables were compared between the cohorts and survival analysis was performed with the Kaplan-Meier and Cox-regression methods. The primary outcomes were CSS and OS. RESULTS: Of 638 patients identified, 209 patients (32.8%) underwent PBT with an average of 2.21 ± 1.66 units transfused PRBC. Mean age was 68.1 ± 11.2 years; median follow up was 25.5 months (range 1-164 months). The number of units of PRBC transfused was inversely associated with OS (HR 1.12; p = 0.008) and CSS (HR 1.12; p = 0.049) on univariable analysis. Additionally, Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a significant difference in OS (p = 0.0211) in patients who received more units of PRBC. However, on multivariable analysis, the number of units of PRBC transfused was not an independent predictor of outcome for CSS (p = 0.300) or OS (p = 0.246). CONCLUSIONS: Each additional unit of PRBC received during radical cystectomy is associated with a decrease in survival. However, after controlling for clinical and pathologic factors which predict survival, PBT does not have an independent affect upon CSS or OS.

Vitamin D deficiency in the urological population: a single center analysis.

PURPOSE: Vitamin D has a well-known role in calcium metabolism and bone health. It may also help prevent a number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and malignancies such as breast, colorectal and prostate cancer. To our knowledge the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency has never been reported in the general urological population. We evaluated the vitamin D status of this population at a large academic center. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 3,763 male and female patients from a urology database at a single academic institution. Patients were identified whose levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D were measured for the first time between 1997 and 2010. We determined the prevalence of normal--greater than 30, insufficient--20 to 29 and deficient--less than 20 ng/ml 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors for vitamin D deficiency. RESULTS: Overall 2,559 patients (68%) had suboptimal 25-hydroxyvitamin D (less than 30 ng/ml), of whom 1,331 (52%) were frankly deficient (less than 20 ng/ml) in the vitamin. Vitamin D deficiency was more common in patients younger than age 50 years (44.5%), black (53.2%) and Hispanic (41.6%) patients (p <0.001), and patients without an existing urological malignancy (35.4%, p <0.001). On multivariate analysis race, age, season and cancer diagnosis were independent predictors of vitamin D status. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D deficiency is extremely common in urological patients at a major urban medical center. Urologists should consider recommending appropriate supplementation during the initial assessment of all patients.