OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of the modified ileal neobladder reconstruction on lifestyle, voiding habits and functional outcome in Asian patients.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: Twenty-seven Asian patients (25 men and two women, mean age 59 years, range 41-76) underwent modified ileal neobladder reconstruction after radical cystectomy for carcinoma of the bladder. The mean (range) follow-up was 21 (3-75) months. All patients were evaluated retrospectively using case notes, reviews, interviews and voiding charts; 18 patients underwent urodynamic studies.
RESULT: Twenty-five patients (93%) achieved diurnal and 23 (85%) nocturnal continence within 6 months. Of the 19 patients who were in employment before surgery, 15 continued to be economically active afterward; 26 patients (96%) reported no change in their daily living activities. Of 16 men who reported being potent pre-operatively only four retained some residual erectile function. Twenty-three patients were interviewed about their voiding habits and satisfaction with the outcome of surgery. Fourteen patients had no sensation of reservoir fullness and of the 21 men, 13 had to squat or sit to void effectively. The mean (range) voiding frequency was 5 (4-8) during the day and 2 (0-4) during sleep. Twenty-two patients were satisfied with the overall outcome.
CONCLUSIONS: The modified ileal bladder provides a high urinary continence rate with minimal changes in daily living activities and occupational status. The functional outcome was very satisfactory and accepted well, despite some changes in reservoir sensation, voiding posture and erectile function. The method is a viable option for reconstruction after cystectomy in Asian patients.
Candidate gene and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 15 independent genomic regions associated with bladder cancer risk. In search for additional susceptibility variants, we followed up on four promising single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that had not achieved genome-wide significance in 6911 cases and 11 814 controls (rs6104690, rs4510656, rs5003154 and rs4907479, P < 1 × 10(-6)), using additional data from existing GWAS datasets and targeted genotyping for studies that did not have GWAS data. In a combined analysis, which included data on up to 15 058 cases and 286 270 controls, two SNPs achieved genome-wide statistical significance: rs6104690 in a gene desert at 20p12.2 (P = 2.19 × 10(-11)) and rs4907479 within the MCF2L gene at 13q34 (P = 3.3 × 10(-10)). Imputation and fine-mapping analyses were performed in these two regions for a subset of 5551 bladder cancer cases and 10 242 controls. Analyses at the 13q34 region suggest a single signal marked by rs4907479. In contrast, we detected two signals in the 20p12.2 region-the first signal is marked by rs6104690, and the second signal is marked by two moderately correlated SNPs (r(2) = 0.53), rs6108803 and the previously reported rs62185668. The second 20p12.2 signal is more strongly associated with the risk of muscle-invasive (T2-T4 stage) compared with non-muscle-invasive (Ta, T1 stage) bladder cancer (case-case P ≤ 0.02 for both rs62185668 and rs6108803). Functional analyses are needed to explore the biological mechanisms underlying these novel genetic associations with risk for bladder cancer.