The effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on the perioperative morbidity of patients undergoing radical cystectomy for bladder cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Radical cystectomy (RC) with concurrent lymph node dissection is the treatment choice in muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). The use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with MIBC who will undergo RC appears to improve 5-year survival by 5% without affecting the perioperative morbidity of patients. The aim of this study is to present the effect of NAC on perioperative morbidity in patients undergoing RC in our department. Material and Methods: A retrospective study of the data of patients undergoing radical cystectomy for MIBC was performed in our department regarding the years 2016 and 2017. Patients were divided into two groups depending on whether they received NAC or not. Afterwards, a comparison of the perioperative morbidity between the 2 groups was performed as expressed by the duration of surgery, the time of hospitalization, the occurrence of complications and the need for immediate re-intervention. Results: Patients who underwent NAC were younger in a statistical significant way. On the other hand, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding the duration of surgery, the time of hospitalization, the need for reoperation, the appearance of wound infection, the occurrence of urinary tract infection, the need for transfusion, the appearance of deep vein thrombosis or the occurrence of complications from the cardiovascular and respiratory system.