Adverse pathological outcomes of patients with de novo muscle invasive bladder cancer in Northern Ontario

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the Summary clinical and pathological characteristics of patients with de novo muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who underwent radical cystectomy in Northern Ontario. Methods: This is a retrospective cross-sectional study of patients with de novo T2 MIBC who underwent radical cystectomy over a 2-year-period in Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre. Clinical and pathological characteristics of Trans Urethral Resection of Bladder Tumors and cystectomy specimens were analyzed. Results: Of the 59 patients aged 67 ± 8.8 years, predominated by males (80%), 27.1% were younger than age 60. After surgery, upstaging was noted in 59.3% (T3 in 27.1% and T4 in 32.2%) while node positive was noted in 36% of patients. Prostate adenocarcinoma was incidentally discovered in 20 (34%) of patients with 50% considered significant (Gleason score ≥ 7). Downstaging was found in those who had neoadjuvant chemotherapy (p = 0.001). Conclusions: The high prevalence of younger ages (less than 60), a high rate of upstaging, the presence of high-grade incidental prostate cancer, and lymph node positives in T2 de novo MIBC in Northern Ontario, warrants further investigation of potential causes and risk factors at individual, public, and population health levels in the region.