Recovery From Radical Cystectomy Takes Three to Six Months

THURSDAY, March 3, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Patients require three to six months to recover to baseline levels of independence after radical cystectomy, irrespective of surgical approach, according to a study published online Feb. 16 in JAMA Network Open.

Vivek Venkatramani, M.D., from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and colleagues assessed time to recovery of functional independence after radical cystectomy and whether differences exist between robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) and open procedures. This secondary analysis included data from a randomized clinical trial for 302 patients treated at 15 academic medical centers from July 1, 2011, to Nov. 18, 2014.

The researchers found that overall, activities of daily living (ADL), independent ADL, and the timed up & go walking test (TUGWT) recovered to baseline by three postoperative months, while hand grip strength took six months. For RARC, activities of daily living recovered at one month versus three months after open radical cystectomy (ORC). For hand grip strength, RARC recovery occurred by three months versus six months after ORC. In the RARC group, 35.6 percent of patients showed a recovery in hand grip strength at three months compared with 36.4 percent in the ORC group. Recovery in three months was similar for independent ADL and TUGWT.

"These findings suggest that recovery after radical cystectomy takes three to six months and recovery in some domains may be quicker after RARC," the authors write.

One author disclosed financial ties to FerGene and UroGen Pharma.

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