Using Preoperative Albumin Levels As a Surrogate Marker for Outcomes After Radical Cystectomy for Bladder Cancer

Objective To evaluate preoperative albumin levels as a marker for comparing survival outcomes after cystectomy in patients with bladder cancer. Materials and Methods We performed a retrospective record review using our bladder cancer database of 238 patients from 2004 to 2011. Of these, we included 187 patients with sufficient data for analysis, aged 35 years or older, who survived to undergo cystectomy. Serum albumin levels were routinely checked the day before cystectomy. Overall survival and cancer-specific survival by albumin levels were compared using Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards regression models. Complication rates between albumin groups were compared by a 2-sample test of proportions. Results Thirty-one patients (16.5%) were in the low-albumin cohort (defined as albumin