Synchronous bladder and prostate cancer specimens obtained from radical cystoprostatectomy: A single-center retrospective analysis

The aim of the present study was to analyze incidence, histopathological features and clinical outcomes of patients undergoing radical cystoprostatectomy (RCP) for bladder cancer, in which incidental prostate cancer (PCa) was found. How these types of cancer impacted the patients' management and whether prostate-sparing cystectomy could be an option for these patients was determined. The current study retrospectively analyzed the data of a cohort of patients from 'Umberto I' Hospital of Nocera Inferiore who underwent RCP for bladder transitional cell carcinoma. Patients with a preoperative diagnosis or clinical suspicion of PCa were excluded. Patients affected by incidental PCa in the RCP specimens were identified, and then their demographic, histopathological and clinical outcome data were collected. Overall, it was revealed that of the 303 patients undergoing RCP for bladder cancer, 69 (22.7%) had incidental PCa, with a median age of 71.6 (age range, 54-89 years). In total, 23 (33.33%) of the 69 patients with incidental PCa were considered to have clinically significant prostate disease. In conclusion, it was relatively common to identify incidental PCa in RCP specimens but no preoperative predictive factors were identified that were able to determine 'non-aggressive' PCa status. Therefore, the present results demonstrate the need for a careful and complete prostate removal during RCP. Nevertheless, since organ-sparing surgeries are widely performed in young population, due to the impossibility of predicting aggressive prostate cancer, these patients require close monitoring through lifelong PSA surveillance, particularly focusing on the possible relapse of PCa after RCP.