Abstract
Study design
Longitudinal study.
Objectives
To describe the severity of spinal cord injury/disease (SCI/D), type and management of neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction, tumor characteristics, and bladder cancer latency period in SCI/D patients.
Setting
Spinal cord injury centers in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Methods
Data of SCI/D patients diagnosed with bladder cancer were collected between Jan 2012–Dec 2019 in the course of annual surveys in the neuro-urological departments of all 28 centers. Demographic and paralysis-specific data, data on the type and management of neurogenic lower urinary tract dysfunction, and histopathological tumor characteristics were collected.
Results
Regarding histopathological tumor characteristics, no significant differences were found in 135 individuals with SCI/D when stratified for bladder management without chronic catheterization, SCI/D severity, and ASIA classification.
The mean latency period between the onset of SCI/D and the diagnosis of bladder cancer was significantly longer in patients with catheter-free emptying methods compared to patients with intermittent catheterization, and in patients with LMNL (Lower Motor Neuron Lesion) compared to patients with UMNL (Upper Motor Neuron Lesion).
Conclusions
Urinary bladder carcinomas are late events in the long-term course of SCI/D. Follow-up and approaches to screening must therefore be intensified with increasing duration of long-term SCI.
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Data availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during this study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. An anonymized overview of the data of the patients in this study is given in Suppl. Table 3.
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RB had full access to all the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis. Study concept and design: RB, RT, KG. Acquisition of data: RB, KF, OB, CT. Analysis and interpretation of data: RB, BK, KG. Drafting of the manuscript: RB, TK, KG. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content and proof of the final version: BK, KF, OB, CT, RT, TK, KG. Obtaining funding: None. Statistical analysis: BK, RB. Administrative, technical, or material support: RT. Supervision: RT, TK, KG.
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Böthig, R., Kowald, B., Fiebag, K. et al. Bladder management, severity of injury and period of latency: a descriptive study on 135 patients with spinal cord injury and bladder cancer. Spinal Cord 59, 971–977 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-021-00651-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41393-021-00651-3
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