Urological outcomes following pelvic exenteration for advanced pelvic cancer are not inferior to those following radical cystectomy.

Abstract

Pelvic exenteration (PE) for locally advanced pelvic malignancy requires a multi-disciplinary approach and is associated with significant morbidity. Urinary reconstruction forms a major component of this procedure. The aim of the study is to review the urological outcomes following PE in a newly established pelvic oncology unit, to compare with those following radical cystectomy (RC) for bladder cancer. Patients were identified from prospectively maintained PE and bladder cancer databases, inclusive of all cases performed between January 2012 and December 2016. Those without urinary reconstructions and follow-up durations of less than 3 months were excluded. The outcomes of PE and RC cases were compared, stratifying surgical complications using the Clavien-Dindo classification. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05. There were 22 PE cases and 27 RC cases. The median age at surgery was 56 and 65 years, with a median follow-up of 11.7 and 19.8 months, in the PE and RC groups, respectively. Urinary reconstructions comprised n = 20 (91%) conduit diversions and n = 2 (9%) ureteral reimplantations in the PE group, and n = 5 (19%) orthotopic bladder substitutes and n = 22 (81%) ileal conduits in the RC group. The 30-day urological complication rate was 23% in the PE group (n = 4 Clavien-Dindo Grade 1-2, and n = 1 Grade 3) versus 11% in the RC group (n = 1 Grade 1-2, and n = 2 Grade 3), P = 0.801. There were no Grade 4-5 complications in this series. The urological outcomes following PE in complex pelvic oncology are reasonable and not inferior to those after primary RC alone.