Predictive factors of early death in patients with bladder cancer undergoing robot-assisted radical cystectomy

Objective To investigate the predictive factors of early death in patients with bladder cancer undergoing robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC). Methods We retrospectively reviewed 186 bladder cancer patients undergoing RARC at our institution. Early death was defined as death within one year of RARC. The association between clinicopathological variables and early death was analyzed. Cox proportional hazards models were used to determine the predictive factors of early death in bladder cancer patients receiving RARC. Results Median follow-up period was 20.6 months (interquartile range: 13.5 to 30.2), and 31 patients (16.7%) died within one year of RARC. The Cox univariate analysis revealed that age (P<0.01), fibrinogen (P<0.05), the ratio of platelet to lymphocyte (PLR, P<0.05), prognostic nutrition index (PNI, P<0.05), tumor stage (P<0.05) and lymph node metastasis (P<0.05) were associated with early death after RARC. The Cox multivariate analysis demonstrated that age (P<0.05) and fibrinogen (P<0.05) independently predicted early death after RARC. Conclusion Age and preoperative plasma fibrinogen were independent predictors of early death for patients with bladder cancer undergoing RARC. Key words: Robot; Radical cystectomy; Early death