The Impact of Facility Surgical Caseload Volumes on Survival Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Radical Cystectomy

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The oncological outcome of curative intent surgery for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder could be impacted by facility caseload and surgical experience. In this review of 27,272 cases of radical cystectomy and pelvic exenteration, as the annual caseload of surgery at the facility decreased, the all-cause mortality for the patients increased significantly. The caseload of the facility where radical cystectomy and pelvic exenteration were performed had a direct and significant impact on the overall survival for the patients. ABSTRACT: The role of surgical experience and its impact on the survival requires further investigation. A cohort of patients undergoing radical cystectomy or anterior pelvic exenteration for localized bladder cancer between 2006 and 2013 at 1143 facilities across the United States was identified using the National Cancer Database and analyzed. Using overall survival (OS) as the primary outcome, the relationship between facility annual caseload (FAC) and facility annual surgical caseload (FASC) for those undergoing curative surgery was examined. Four volume groups (VG) depending on caseload using both FAC and FASC were defined. These included VG1: below 50th percentile, VG2: 50th–74th percentile, VG3: 75th–89th percentile, and VG4: 90th and above. Between 2006 and 2013, 27,272 patients underwent surgery for localized bladder cancer. The median OS was 59.66 months (95% CI: 57.79–61.77). OS improved significantly as caseload increased. The unadjusted median OS difference between VG1 and VG4 was 15.35 months (64.3 vs. 48.95 months, HR 1.19 95% CI: 1.13–1.25, p < 0.001) for FAC. This figure was 19.84 months (66.89 vs. 47.05 months, HR 1.25 95% CI: 1.18–1.32, p < 0.0001) for FASC. This analysis revealed a significant and clinically important survival advantage for curative bladder cancer surgery at highly experienced centers.