Is robotic approach useful to palliate advanced bladder cancer? A monocentric single surgeon experience

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to assess surgical and functional outcomes of 17 consecutive patients undergoing robot- assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) with palliative intent in a monocentric single surgeon series. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We collected data from 17 consecutive patients who underwent RARC with palliative intent performed by a single surgeon at our institution. Patients undergoing palliative RARC were those with advanced bladder cancer (BC) or advanced comorbidities. Clinical, surgical and functional outcomes were prospectively collected. Patients completed a specific questionnaire (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bladder Cancer, FACT-BL) before and after surgery to assess the role of palliative RARC in terms of quality of life improvement. RESULTS: Median age at surgery was 78 years, with median Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) and age-adjusted CCI of 3 and 7, respectively. Clinical stage was T2, T3 or T4 in 7, 8 and 2 patients respectively, with 52.9% and 29.4% with cN+ and cM+ disease. Median estimated blood loss was 200 ml, with 1 patient requiring intra-operative blood transfusion. Median hospital stay was 7 days. A total of 3 and 2 patients were re-hospitalized during the first 30 and 30–90 post-operative days, respectively. One major Clavien grade complication was recorded. At median follow-up of 8 months, 9 and 2 patients succumbed due to tumor progression and other causes. Pre-operative and post-operative FACT-BL scores improved significantly in each domain. CONCLUSIONS: A RARC is a safe and feasible technique which could be offered as part of palliative care in patients with advanced BC or comorbidities. Precise guidelines for palliating BC patients should be better.