Practice Patterns and Impact of Postchemotherapy Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection on Testicular Cancer Outcomes

Solomon L. Woldu, Joseph A. Moore, Bo Ci, Yuval Freifeld, Timothy N. Clinton, Ahmet M. Aydin, Nirmish Singla, Laura Maria Krabbe, Ryan C. Hutchinson, James F Amatruda, Arthur Sagalowsky, Yair Lotan, Yull E Arriaga, Vitaly Margulis, Yang Xie, Aditya Bagrodia

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Owing to surgical complexity and controversy regarding indications, there are wide practice variations in the use of postchemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (PC-RPLND). Objective: To evaluate patterns of PC-RPLND use in the USA and evaluate the association between PC-RPLND and survival in advanced nonseminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCTs). Design, setting, and participants: A retrospective, observational study using National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) data from 2004–2014 for 5062 men diagnosed with stage II/III NSGCT. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: In a comparative analysis based on receipt of PC-RPLND, the primary outcome of interest was factors associated with omission of PC-RPLND as explored via logistic regression. As a secondary outcome, we evaluated the association between PC-RPLND and overall survival (OS) via multivariable Cox regression and propensity score matching (PSM). Results and limitations: Patients undergoing PC-RPLND were more likely to be younger, white, privately insured, and reside in more educated/wealthier regions (p < 0.001). Insurance status was independently associated with receipt of PC-RPLND; compared to patients with private insurance, those without insurance were significantly less likely to receive PC-RPLND (odds ratio 0.49; p < 0.001). After multivariate adjustment, age, comorbidity, non-private insurance, distance from hospital, clinical stage, and risk group were independently associated with all-cause mortality. In addition, omission of PC-RPLND remained associated with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio 1.98; p < 0.001). After PSM, the 5-yr OS was significantly lower among those not undergoing PC-RPLND (72% vs 77%; p = 0.007). Conclusions: PC-RPLND represents a critical part of the multidisciplinary management of NSGCT. Patients with non-private insurance are less likely to undergo PC-RPLND, and omission of PC-RPLND is associated with lower OS. Patient summary: We evaluated the practice patterns for advanced testicular cancer management and found that patients who did not undergo a postchemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection were more likely to have worse survival outcomes. Patients with unfavorable insurance were less likely to receive this surgical treatment. Postchemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (PC-RPLND) is an integral part of nonseminomatous germ cell tumor management. We found that patients with unfavorable insurance were less likely to receive PC-RPLND and omission of this surgical treatment was independently associated with worse survival.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)242-251
Number of pages10
JournalEuropean Urology Oncology
Volume1
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2018

Keywords

  • Germ cell tumor
  • Retroperitoneal lymph node dissection
  • Surgery
  • Testis cancer

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Practice Patterns and Impact of Postchemotherapy Retroperitoneal Lymph Node Dissection on Testicular Cancer Outcomes'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this