Utility of Patient-Reported Symptom and Functional Outcomes to Indicate Recovery after First 90 Days of Radical Cystectomy: A Longitudinal Study

This is a longitudinal prospective study that tracked multiple symptom burden and functioning status for bladder cancer (BLC) patients for 3 months post-radical cystectomy at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, using a validated disease-specific patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) tool, the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory (the MDASI-PeriOp-BLC). The feasibility of collecting an objective measure for physical functioning, using “Timed Up & Go test” (TUGT) and PRO scores at baseline, discharge and end of study, was tested. Patients (n = 52) received care under an ERAS pathway. The more severe scores of fatigue, sleep disturbance, distress, drowsiness, frequent urination and urinary urgency at baseline predicted poor functional recovery postoperatively (OR = 1.661, 1.039–2.655, p = 0.034); other more severe symptoms at discharge (pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, lack of appetite, drowsiness, bloating/abdominal tightness) predicted poor functional recovery (OR = 1.697, 1.114–2.584, p = 0.014) postoperatively. Compliance rates at preoperative, discharge and end of study were 100%, 79% and 77%, while TUGT completion rates were 88%, 54% and 13%, respectively. This prospective study found that more severe symptom burden at baseline and discharge is associated with poor functional recovery post-radical cystectomy for BLC. The collection of PROs is more feasible than using performance measures (TUGT) of function following radical cystectomy.