A DELAY IN RADICAL CYSTECTOMY OF >3 MONTHS IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH A WORSE CLINICAL OUTCOME

Sir, The question of the delay in time to cystectomy and its effect on survival in patients with bladder cancer is clearly an important issue. We congratulate the authors of this report [1] for assembling and analysing data from many institutions, and that represents a considerable effort to answer this question. The analysis reported is particularly useful, as it considers both pathological and survival outcomes in the same cohort. However, there are several inherent omissions in the study design that we recognized and that might limit the importance of their conclusion. It is important that we consider seriously the study limitations, as these data would be sending mixed messages about ideal wait times between transurethral resection (TUR) and cystectomy. This has a clear effect on several healthcare systems, such as that of the UK, where such intervals are mandated and carefully controlled and monitored.