Laparoscopic radical cystectomy (LRC) is a standard surgical treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer and high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. LRC is a less invasive modality than conventional open surgery. Therefore, even elderly patients with invasive bladder cancer may be candidates for LRC. In this study, a comparative analysis of perioperative/oncological outcomes between elderly patients and younger patients who underwent LRC was performed to assess the feasibility of LRC in elderly patients. Sixty-eight consecutive patients who underwent LRC between October 2013 and March 2018 were enrolled and stratified into those younger than 75 years (n=37) and those ≥ 75 years old (n=31). The median follow-up period was 28.2 months. The preoperative and operative parameters and complications were similar in both groups. The 2-year overall survival (OS) was 64.4% in the younger vs. 76.4% in the elderly group (p=0.053), cancer-specific survival (CSS) was 79.3% vs. 81.7% (p=0.187), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 58.2% vs. 75.7% (p=0.174), respectively. No significant differences were observed in OS, CSS, or RFS between the groups. No significant differences were found between the groups with respect to peri-surgical/oncological outcomes. We conclude that LRC is feasible in elderly patients.
Acta medica Okayama. 2019 Oct [Epub]
Yutaka Yanagihara, Keigo Nishida, Ryuta Watanabe, Kanae Koyama, Yuichiro Sawada, Terutaka Noda, Seiji Asai, Tetsuya Fukumoto, Noriyoshi Miura, Yuki Miyauchi, Tadahiko Kikugawa, Takashi Saika
Department of Urology, Ehime University Medical School, Toon City, Ehime 791-0245, ., Department of Urology, Ehime University Medical School, Toon City, Ehime 791-0245, Japan.