Secondary tumours in orthotopic neobladder using isolated gut segment post radical cystectomy for urothelial carcinoma: a systematic review

Background: Urothelial carcinoma recurrence of an orthotopic neobladder created from bowel segment is a rare occurrence. The usage of bowel segments to create neobladder following cystectomy for urinary diversion is growing yet there still remains a large gap in the literature about recurrence in neobladder. We carry out the first systematic review to outline current details of urothelial cancer recurrences in a neobladder, diagnostic approach, management and long term prognosis.

Method: We carried out a systematic review searching databases PubMed (MEDLINE), Scopus and Web of Science. Only studies reporting on urothelial carcinoma recurrence of the neobladder with or without multi-focal disease were reported. A quality assessment tool was utilized to ensure all studies met quality standards.

Results: Fifteen studies were included in the systematic review meeting inclusion criteria. Fourteen of these studies were cases in men where pT3 disease was the most prevalent (29%). The most common symptomology was macroscopic haematuria seen in eight patients (53.33%). Management varied among cases and including adjuvant chemotherapy regimens and surgical interventions consisting of endoscopic resection to robotic neocystectomy and nephroureterectomy. Follow up period for these patients was up to 38 months and 55% of patients did not see a recurrence.

Conclusion: The nature of recurrence is hypothesised to be due to seeding of urothelial cells into the non-urothelial surfaces compatible for both implantation and growth. We present the first systematic review to report on recurrence rates and details of diagnosis and outcomes of various management regimes for urothelial carcinoma of the neobladder.