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PURPOSE: Systemic chemotherapy, depending on the regimen, can be administered through peripheral intravenous (pIV) access or through central venous access devices (CVADs). There is no current best practice regarding optimal access for chemotherapy for patients with testicular cancer (TC). We retrospectively evaluated patients undergoing systemic chemotherapy for TC and compared baseline characteristics and complications of patients using pIV versus CVADs. METHODS: We included patients with TC who underwent first-line systemic chemotherapy at the University of Colorado Hospitals from 2005 to 2020. Data were collected on demographics, cancer characteristics, type, duration of chemotherapy, pIV or CVAD use, and associated complication rates. We then performed univariate and multivariate regression analyses to compare complication rates and risk factors for each group. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-four patients met inclusion criteria. Ninety-two (60%) patients used CVADs, and 62 patients (40%) used pIV for their initial treatment. Only six (9.7%) of 62 patients transitioned from pIV to CVADs during therapy. Similarly, 10 of 92 (10.9%) patients with initial CVAD needed to transition to a different type of CVAD or to pIV (P = .81). There were a greater number of venous access-related complications (48 of 92 patients, 52.2%) and overall thrombotic events (33 of 92 patients, 35.9%) for the CVAD group (P > .001) when compared with the pIV group. We observed an association between the following factors and venous access-related complications during chemotherapy: higher stage TC, increased total chemotherapy cycles, and delayed therapy. CONCLUSION: Peripheral IV use for first-line nonvesicant chemotherapy in patients with TC appears to be well tolerated with high rates of therapy completion and lower rates of complications when compared with CVADs. These data support our preferred treatment approach and provide evidence that pIV access is a safe and effective way to deliver chemotherapy for patients with TC.

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OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the degree of discomfort among patients with bladder cancer undergoing office-based cystoscopy and identify factors and interventions that influence discomfort and anxiety. METHODS: We conducted a survey of the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network Patient Survey Network (BCAN PSN) to investigate the degree of discomfort associated with office-based cystoscopy and prevalence of interventions used to reduce discomfort. All patients had undergone at least one previous cystoscopy. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression were used to identify factors associated with moderate-to-severe cystoscopy discomfort. RESULTS: Among 488 BCAN PSN respondents (50% response rate), 392 responded with demographic data and discomfort score. Cystoscopy was associated with moderate-to-severe discomfort in 52% of patients. Respondents who reported moderate-to-severe discomfort were more likely to describe their most recent cystoscopy discomfort as worse than prior (P<0.001) and to be interested in planning discomfort mitigation for cystoscopy (P<0.001). On multivariable analysis, gender was the only factor independently associated with discomfort, with women reporting less discomfort than men (OR 0.59, 95%CI 0.37-0.95,P=0.03). Patients reported a wide variety of cystoscopy-specific interventions with differing perceived effectiveness, the most common being intraurethral lidocaine. CONCLUSIONS: Over half of patients undergoing office-based cystoscopy for bladder cancer report moderate-to-severe discomfort, constituting a substantial problem among patients undergoing the procedure. Future large pragmatic comparative effectiveness trials are needed to better understand which interventions work most effectively to reduce discomfort associated with cystoscopy.

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INTRODUCTION: With growing support of perioperative chemotherapy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC), current biopsy methods are challenging, and little is known as to the degree to which patients would appropriately receive neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) from biopsy alone. Herein, we sought to assess the rates of appropriate clinical use of NAC and identify clinicopathologic factors associated with aggressive UTUC amongst patients undergoing radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) for clinically localized disease. METHODS: From 2004 to 2013, we identified all treatment naïve patients diagnosed with clinically localized, high grade UTUC (cTa-4Nx) who underwent RNU from the National Cancer Database (NCDB). Pathologic criteria for NAC (pT2-4N0,x; pTanyN1) from RNU represented the primary outcome. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were utilized to identify covariates associated with primary outcome to determine appropriate use of NAC. RESULTS: During the study interval, 5,362 patients were diagnosed with clinically localized UTUC and underwent RNU. Overall, 49.1% of patients presented with an unknown primary tumor stage (Tx) and 24.5% had invasive UTUC from biopsy. On multivariable analysis, upper tract tumor size was associated with invasive UTUC eligible for NAC (all P < 0.05). Amongst patients with cTx UTUC from biopsy, half of patients had pathologic noninvasive UTUC (pTa,is,1) from RNU and would be overtreated with NAC. CONCLUSION: Significant uncertainty persists in assigning primary upper tract tumor depth and represents a key barrier to widespread implementation of NAC for patients with high grade UTUC. Further research is needed to more accurately determine clinical criteria to identify patients for NAC.

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INTRODUCTION: Radiation therapy (XRT) has been investigated as a possible treatment for high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with the goal of bladder preservation, especially with the ongoing Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) shortage. Yet, little is known about the clinical efficacy and the quality of evidence supporting XRT for NMIBC. Herein, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate XRT in the treatment of patients with high-risk NMIBC. METHODS: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and Web of Science were searched for high-risk NMIBC (high grade T1, T1/Ta with associated risk features: carcinoma in-situ (CIS), multifocality, > 5cm in diameter, and/or multiple recurrences) treated with primary XRT. Outcomes evaluated were recurrence-free survival (RFS), cancer-specific-survival (CSS), overall survival (OS), and salvage cystectomy and progression to metastatic disease rates. A meta-analysis was performed to assess outcomes for XRT in NMIBC. RESULTS: Overall,13 studies including 746 patients met the search criteria. The 5-year rates of RFS, CSS and OS were 54% (95% CI = 38% - 70%), 86% (95% CI = 80% - 92%), and 72% (95% CI = 64% - 79%). Notably, 13% of patients proceeded to salvage radical cystectomy and 9% developed metastatic disease. All studies were of poor quality, comprising single institution and retrospective studies with only one clinical trial. CONCLUSION: XRT for high-risk NMIBC provides some degree of oncologic control, although distant progression was noted. In the setting of the low-quality evidence, a prospective clinical trial is needed to clearly define the risks and benefits of this approach.

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OBJECTIVES: Patients undergoing radical cystectomy represent a particularly resource-intensive patient population. Time-driven activity based costing (TDABC) assigns time to events and then costs are based on the people involved in providing care for specific events. To determine the major cost drivers of radical cystectomy care we used a TDABC analysis for the cystectomy care pathway. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed a random sample of 100 patients out of 717 eligible patients undergoing open radical cystectomy and ileal conduit for bladder cancer at our institution between 2012 and 2015. We defined the cycle of care as beginning at the preoperative clinic visit and ending with the 90-day postoperative clinic visit. TDABC was carried out with construction of detailed process maps. Capacity cost rates were calculated and the care cycle was divided into 3 phases: surgical, inpatient, and readmissions. Costs were normalized to the lowest cost driver within the cohort. RESULTS: The mean length of stay was 6.9 days. Total inpatient care was the main driver of cost for radical cystectomy making up 32% of the total costs. Inpatient costs were mainly driven by inpatient staff care (76%). Readmissions were responsible for 29% of costs. Surgery was 31% of the costs, with the majority derived from operating room staff costs (65%). CONCLUSION: The major driver of cost in a radical cystectomy pathway is the inpatient stay, closely followed by operating room costs. Surgical costs, inpatient care and readmissions all remain significant sources of expense for cystectomy and efforts to reduce cystectomy costs should be focused in these areas.

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