Socioeconomic Status-Related Parameters as Predictors of Competing (Non-Bladder Cancer) Mortality after Radical Cystectomy

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> To investigate the impact of socioeconomic status-related parameters on competing (non-bladder cancer) mortality after radical cystectomy. <b><i>Patients and Methods:</i></b> A total of 1,268 consecutive patients who underwent radical cystectomy for urothelial or undifferentiated bladder cancer at our institution between 1993 and 2016 with a mean age of 69 years (median 70 years) were studied. The mean ­follow-up of the censored patients was 7.2 years (median 5.7 years). Proportional hazard models for competing risk were used to identify predictors of non-bladder cancer (competing) mortality. The following parameters were included into multivariate analyses: age, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, Charlson score, gender, level of education, smoking status, marital status, local tumour stage, lymph node status, adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Besides age and both comorbidity classifications, the socioeconomic status-related parameters gender (female versus male, hazard ratio [HR] 0.58, 95% CI 0.40–0.84, <i>p</i> = 0.0042), level of education (university degree or master craftsman versus others, HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.56–0.1.03, <i>p</i> = 0.0801), smoking status (current smoking versus others, HR 1.47, 95% CI 1.10–1.96, <i>p</i> = 0.0085) and marital status (married versus others, HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.50–0.92, <i>p</i> = 0.0133) were independent predictors of competing mortality after radical cystectomy. If considered in combination (multiplication of HRs), the prognostic impact of socioeconomic parameters superseded that of the investigated comorbidity classifications. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Socioeconomic status-related parameters may provide important information on the long-term competing mortality risk after radical cystectomy supplementary to chronological age and comorbidity.