Increased Use of Cystectomy in Patients 75 and Older: A Contemporary Analysis of Survival and Perioperative Outcomes From the National Cancer Database.

Objective: To assess national utilization patterns for cystectomy and nonsurgical treatments for elderly patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Methods: From the National Cancer Database, we identified patients ≥75 years old with T2-T4, non-metastatic urothelial carcinoma between 2003 and 2012. Patients were grouped by treatment: cystectomy, chemoradiation, or nonstandard treatment.

National Surgical Trends and Perioperative Outcomes of Midurethral Sling Placement for Stress Urinary Incontinence.

Objective: To determine contemporary trends, patient characteristics, and outcomes for midurethral sling placement (MUS) at inpatient and ambulatory facilities from a national database.

Materials And Methods: Using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, we identified 7767 women who underwent isolated MUS 2006-2012. We stratified patients by hospitalization type (outpatient vs hospitalization).

Surgical quality of minimally invasive adrenalectomy for adrenocortical carcinoma: a contemporary analysis using the National Cancer Database.

Objectives: To compare quality outcomes between open (OA) and minimally invasive (MIA) adrenalectomy for adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC).

Patients And Methods: In the National Cancer Database, we identified 481 patients with non-metastatic ACC who underwent adrenalectomy from 2010 to 2013. OA and MIA were compared on positive surgical margin (PSM) and lymph node dissection (LND) rates (primary outcomes), and lymph node yield, length of stay (LOS), readmission, and overall survival (secondary outcomes).

pT0 Prostate Cancer: Predictive Clinicopathologic Features in an American Population.

Introduction: The pT0 stage of prostate cancer describes the radical prostatectomy (RP) specimen where no cancer can be identified. Given known racial and geographic differences in prostate cancer incidence and survival, we reviewed our experience with pT0 disease to determine applicability of these predictive features in an American population.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted for all RPs at one state tertiary care institution during a 20-year period (1991-2011).

Missing the target: characterization of bullous pemphigoid patients who are negative using the BP180 enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay.

Background: Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is an autoimmune blistering disease characterized by autoantibodies specific for the 180-kd BP antigen-2 (BP180) (also termed "type XVII collagen") protein. The BP180 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is specific for the immunodominant NC16A domain of the protein. However, we and others have observed patients whose reactivity to BP180 is exclusive of the NC16A domain (referred to henceforth as non-NC16A BP).