Disparities in Bladder Cancer Treatment and Survival Amongst Elderly Patients with a Pre-existing Mental Illness

Abstract

BackgroundPre-existing mental illness is known to adversely impact cancer care and outcomes, but this is yet to be assessed in the bladder cancer setting. ObjectiveTo characterize the patterns of care and survival of elderly patients with a pre-existing mental illness diagnosed with bladder cancer. Design, setting, and participantsWe conducted a retrospective analysis of patients enrolled in Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare. A population-based sample was considered. Elderly patients (≥68 yr old) with localized bladder cancer from 2004 to 2011 were stratified by the presence of a pre-existing mental illness at the time of cancer diagnosis: severe mental illness (consisting of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other psychotic disorders), anxiety, and/or depression. Outcome measurements and statistical analysisWe performed multivariable logistic regression analyses to compare the stage of presentation and receipt of guideline-concordant therapies (radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive disease). Survival between patients with a pre-existing mental disorder and those without were compared using Kaplan–Meier analyses with log-rank tests. Results and limitationsOf 66 476 cases included for analysis, 6.7% (n=4468) had a pre-existing mental health disorder at the time of cancer diagnosis. These patients were significantly more likely to present with muscle-invasive disease than those with no psychiatric diagnosis (23.0% vs 19.4%, p–<0.01). In patients with muscle-invasive disease, those with severe mental illness (odds ratio [OR] 0.55, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.37–0.81) and depression only (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.58–0.88) were significantly less likely to undergo radical cystectomy or trimodality therapy. Patients in this subgroup who underwent radical cystectomy had significantly superior overall (hazard ratio [HR] 0.54, 95% CI 0.43–0.67) and disease-specific survival (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.58–0.99) compared with those who did not receive curative treatment. ConclusionsElderly patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer and a pre-existing mental disorder were less likely to receive guideline-concordant management, which led to poor overall and disease-specific survival. Patient summaryPatients with severe mental illness and depression were only significantly less likely to undergo radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive disease, that is, to receive guideline-concordant treatment. Overall survival and disease-specific survival were inferior in patients with a pre-existing mental disorder, and were especially low in those who did not receive guideline-concordant care.