Use of Bladder-Related Medication in Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Patients.

Repeated transurethral bladder resections (TURBs) and instillation treatments in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) might influence bladder function and, therefore, quality of life. Bladder-related medication is a surrogate marker of compromised bladder function. The objective was to investigate whether TURBs and adjuvant instillation therapy are associated with the use of anticholinergics, ß3-agonists, and cystitis-relevant antibiotics. We divided all Danish patients diagnosed with primary NMIBC during 2002-2017 registered in the Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR) based on TURB-load within the first five years from diagnosis (1 TURB, 2-4 TURBs, ≥5 TURBs). Instillation therapy with either mitomycin C (MMC) or bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccine (BCG) was independent exposure (yes or no). We included 17,774 patients; 76% men, median age: 70 years (IQR: 63, 77). Patients exposed to ≥5 TURBs had a higher risk of using bladder-relaxing medication than patients exposed to 1 TURB, HR = 4.01 [3.33; 4.83], and higher risk of cystitis, HR = 2.27 [2.05; 2.51]. BCG-exposed patients had a higher risk of bladder-relaxing medication use compared to non-exposed, HR = 1.92 [1.69; 2.18], and a higher risk of cystitis, HR = 1.39 [1.31; 1.48]. Repeated TURBs have the highest impact on bladder function. Adjuvant instillation therapy is also associated with the use of bladder-related medication.

Positive Predictive Values of Procedure Codes on the Treatment of Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer in the Danish National Patient Registry.

Purpose: Globally non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is a high-incidence disease. There is a large heterogeneity within NMIBC regarding recurrence- and progression risks, and large-scale studies of treatment patterns and prognoses in an everyday setting could result in NMIBC-subgroup treatment optimization, benefiting both patients and the economy. The Danish national registries provide such an opportunity if the registered procedure codes are valid. Therefore, the aim of the study was to validate the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition (ICD-10) codes of NMIBC treatment used in the Danish National Patient Registry (DNPR). Patients and Methods: From the DNPR, we randomly selected 200 NMIBC treatment courses identified by the dates of the course and the codes of transurethral resection of the bladder ((TURB), n = 125), photodynamic diagnosis ((PDD), n = 25), bladder instillation with Bacillus Calmette vaccine ((BCG), n = 25), or bladder instillation with chemotherapy/Mitomycin C ((MMC), n = 25). We used medical record reviews as the reference standard and estimated positive predictive values (PPVs) of all procedure codes and negative predictive values (NPVs) of PDD- and the perioperative single-shot MMC codes. Results: We identified the medical records in 150 (75%) of the 200 treatment courses (149 individual patients). The overall PPVs were TURB: 98.9% (95% confidence interval: 93.8; 100.0%), PDD: 95.8% (78.9; 99.9%), adjuvant BCG: 90.0% (68.3; 98.8%), perioperative single-shot MMC 1/5, and adjuvant MMC: 69.2% (38.6; 90.9%). The overall NPVs were PDD: 64.8% (54.4; 73.9%) and perioperative single-shot MMC: 97.7% (92.1; 99.4%). Conclusion: The ICD-10 NMIBC procedure codes recorded in the DNPR are generally valid with high PPVs. The NPV of the PPD code is acceptable. However, the code for perioperative single-shot MMC is uncertain with low PPV, but a high NPV.

The transferability of the minimal invasive surgeon's skills to open surgery.

BACKGROUND: Robot-assisted laparoscopic surgery has gained popularity, which has contributed to a decrease in the number of open procedures. Hence a growing concern regarding the ability of laparoscopically trained surgeons to perform open surgery (e.g. due to bleeding complications) has been raised. The aim of the study was to investigate the ability of conversion to open surgery following exclusively robotic or laparoscopic training. METHODS: Thirty-six medical students were randomized into three groups: Open surgery, laparoscopy, and robot-assisted laparoscopy. All underwent intensive simulation training in the allocated surgical modality. Subsequently, all study subjects performed an open bowel anastomosis in a pig model where anastomoses were tested for resistance to pressure and leak as a surrogate marker of surgical quality. RESULTS: The primary endpoint was the surgical quality of an open surgery model assessed as, leak pressure, which was 80.01 ± 36.16 mmHg in the laparoscopic training group, 106.57 ± 23.03 mmHg in the robotic training group, and 133.65 ± 18.32 mmHg in the open surgery training group (mean, SD). We found that there were no significant differences between the open surgery training group and the robotic training group whereas a significant difference was found when comparing laparoscopic and open surgery training groups in favor of open procedure training (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In a surrogate open surgery model based on bowel anastomosis, we found that skills acquired through practice on robotic simulation platforms were not significantly worse when compared to skills acquired through training in open surgery, whereas skills acquired from laparoscopic training were significantly poorer when compared to open surgery practice.

Positive Predictive Value of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Acute Urinary Retention in the Danish National Patient Registry: A Validation Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Benign prostatic hyperplasia comprises a significant burden to ageing men due to frequently associated lower urinary tract symptoms and the risk of developing serious complications, such as acute urinary retention. Healthcare databases are a valuable source of epidemiological research; however, continuous validation of definitions is imperative. We examined the positive predictive values of International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), diagnostic coding for benign prostatic hyperplasia and acute urinary retention in men in the Danish National Patient Registry. METHODS: We investigated a random sample of 100 men diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia and 100 men diagnosed with acute urinary retention between 2011 and 2017 in the Central Denmark Region. Using medical record review as reference standard, we estimated the positive predictive value with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) overall and stratified by age, type of hospital (university hospital vs regional hospital), type of hospital contact (inpatient, outpatient or emergency room), calendar year group (2011-2013, 2014-2017), and department (department of urology, geriatrics, endocrinology or emergency room). RESULTS: Medical records were available for all 200 sampled patients. We found an overall positive predictive value (PPV) of 95% (95% CI: 89-98%) for benign prostatic hyperplasia and 98% (95% CI: 93-99%) for acute urinary retention. The PPVs were consistent across age, type of hospital, type of hospital contact, calendar year group, and department. CONCLUSION: The PPVs of ICD-10 codes for benign prostatic hyperplasia and acute urinary retention recorded in the Danish National Patient Registry are high.

The DaBlaCa-13 Study: Short-term, Intensive Chemoresection Versus Standard Adjuvant Intravesical Instillations in Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer-A Randomised Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Instillation therapy for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) reduces recurrences but is associated with side effects. Preoperative instillation of chemotherapy could potentially be associated with fewer side effects compared with adjuvant instillations and in some patients make tumour resection (transurethral resection of the bladder tumour [TURBT]) superfluous. OBJECTIVE: To investigate tumour response and adverse events related to short-term, intensive chemoresection with mitomycin C compared with adjuvant instillations in patients with recurrent NMIBC. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A randomised, controlled trial was conducted in two urological departments in Denmark from January 2018 to June 2019. In total, 120 participants with a history of Ta bladder tumours, low grade or high grade, were included upon recurrence. INTERVENTION: Intravesical mitomycin C (40 mg/40 ml) three times a week for 2 wk in the intervention group (59 patients) was compared with TURBT and six weekly adjuvant instillations in the control group (61 patients). OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Tumour response was evaluated in the intervention group by flexible cystoscopy after 4 wk. Side effects were prospectively registered in both groups using the National Cancer Institute's Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events. Groups were compared using χ2 or Fisher's exact test. RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS: Complete tumour response was seen in 33 participants (57%) in the intervention group. Fewer adverse events were reported in the intervention group than in the control group. Two patients in each group ceased instillation treatment due to adverse events. The main limitation is the current lack of long-term follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Short-term, intensive chemoresection yields a tumour response of 57%. Hence, only half of those treated with chemoresection needed TURBT. The treatment was furthermore associated with fewer clinically significant side effects. Owing to small numbers, further investigations on Ta high-grade tumours are needed. PATIENT SUMMARY: We compared a nonsurgical treatment with standard treatment in patients with superficial bladder tumours. We found it to be safe and able to avoid surgery in more than half of the patients.