Organ-sparing cystectomy techniques: Functional and oncological outcomes, review and current recommendations

With increasing survival from bladder cancer, quality of life, should be one of the main goals following radical cystectomy and bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND). This techniqueis associated with significant morbidity, which may have a critical effect on quality of life. Concerns about functional outcomes, such as continence, potency, and sexual function in women, play a role in decision making for urologists and younger patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Several modifications to the classic radical cystectomy technique, include preservation of genital or pelvic organs, developing in the improvement of postoperative continence, potency rates and sexual functionin female patients. OBJECTIVE: This review summarizes the organ-sparing cystectomy techniques and its functional and oncological outcomes. A PubMed-based literature search was conducted up to April 2020. We selected the most recent and relevant original articles, metanalysis and reviews that have provided relevant information to guide organ-sparing cystectomy techniques and its functional and oncological outcomes. In this review, we discuss selection criteria for male and female patients, organ-sparing cystectomy surgical techniques and its functional and oncological outcomes. Radical cystectomy is associated with significant morbidity, which may have a critical effect on quality of life. Preservation of genital or pelvic organsin men and women, yield better sexual outcomes compared to radical cystectomy without compromising oncological outcomes in well selected patients. But no one of these techniques can be recommended over the classical standard radical cystectomy. Large-scale of prospective and multi-institutional studies are needed to conclude which patients are suitable for these techniques.