Quality of care: partial cystectomy for bladder cancer--a case of inappropriate use?

PURPOSE: Partial cystectomy is perceived to be a less morbid, less technically demanding procedure than radical cystectomy, although only select patients (approximately 6% to 10%) are appropriate candidates (solitary tumor in space/time, absence of carcinoma in situ). From a quality of care perspective, overuse of partial cystectomy may signify inappropriate delivery of health care.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjects who underwent extirpative treatment for bladder cancer between 1988 and 2000 were identified within the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER, 3,381) registry and the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS, 22,088). Adjusted models were developed to identify clinical factors independently associated with the use of partial cystectomy for bladder cancer treatment within each sample.
RESULTS: Among patients who underwent extirpative surgery for bladder cancer, 18% and 20% of those in SEER and NIS, respectively, underwent partial cystectomy. Significant decreases in use between early and later years were noted in both samples (SEER-22% to 13%, NIS-24% to 17%, both p <0.0001). Partial cystectomy was preferentially used in the elderly, those with stage I disease, females and black patients. Furthermore, partial cystectomy was more commonly provided in rural, nonteaching, low volume hospitals.
CONCLUSIONS: Trends in national use of partial cystectomy are consistent between the NIS and SEER with 13% to 17% of patients currently being treated with partial in lieu of radical cystectomy. Partial cystectomy is disproportionately used in certain medical centers (nonteaching, rural, low volume) and patient populations (elderly, black, females, stage I disease) reflecting selective referral or overuse.