The Journal of urology
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The Journal of urology · Feb 2017
Comparative StudyRacial Disparities in Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer.
Active surveillance protocols track low risk prostate cancer progression over time. However, given the lack of uniform criteria for managing low risk prostate cancer, men who qualify for active surveillance might have less intensive surveillance and, thus, experience poorer outcomes. In this study we examined racial disparities in the frequency and intensity of active surveillance between African-American and Caucasian men. ⋯ Among those not treated for low risk prostate cancer, Caucasian men were placed on active surveillance more frequently than African-American men, who often defaulted to de facto watchful waiting after an initial period of active surveillance. This discrepancy raises questions about the factors favoring watchful waiting over active surveillance. Moreover, given the lack of consensus regarding the most efficient active surveillance strategy, we anticipate that racial disparities in the use of active surveillance will persist, especially in African-American patients.
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The Journal of urology · Feb 2017
Causes, Timing, Hospital Costs and Perioperative Outcomes of Index vs Nonindex Hospital Readmissions after Radical Cystectomy: Implications for Regionalization of Care.
We compared the timing, causes, hospital costs and perioperative outcomes of index vs nonindex hospital readmissions after radical cystectomy. ⋯ This nationally representative study of patients undergoing radical cystectomy demonstrated comparable perioperative outcomes and hospital costs between index and nonindex readmitted patients, which supports the continued regionalization of cystectomy care.