Comparison of morbidity and mortality after radical cystectomy between individuals older and younger than 80 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To compare outcomes related to survival and post-operative complications in individuals older and younger than 80 years with bladder cancer undergoing radical cystectomy (RC).

Methods: We conducted a systematic search using three large databases: PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus. We included observational studies comparing outcomes between individuals older than 80 years and younger patients undergoing RC. The outcomes of interest included overall survival, disease-specific survival, progression-free survival, and risk of post-operative complications. We applied a random effects model for the analysis and reported pooled effect sizes as odds ratios (ORs) or hazards ratios (HRs) along with 95% confidence intervals.

Results: We analyzed 21 studies. Our results show that individuals older than 80 years had higher risks of mortality at 30 days (OR 2.82; 95% CI 1.97, 4.04), 90 days (OR 3.34; 95% CI 2.61, 4.27), 12 months (HR 3.03; 95% CI 2.64, 3.49), and 24 months (HR 3.54; 95% CI 2.27, 5.50) of the post-operative follow-up than younger individuals. In addition, individuals older than 80 years also had poor 5-year survivals (HR 2.17; 95% CI 1.64, 2.88), an increased risk of 5-year cancer-specific mortality (HR 1.58; 95% CI 1.24, 2.03), poor 5-year recurrence free survivals (HR 1.49; 95% CI 1.07, 2.08), and high complications risks (OR 1.20; 95% CI 1.02, 1.42) when compared to younger patients.

Conclusion: Individuals older than 80 years undergoing RC are likely to have poor survival-related outcomes and increased complications risks. Pre-planned comprehensive geriatric assessments (CGAs) may be needed to offer better peri- and post-operative care to improve the outcomes in this patient population.