Patients who are indicated for RCIC will be recruited for this prospective RCT. Ureteral stents will be placed intraoperatively and removed at follow-up visit per surgeon discretion. Either approach would be considered standard of care for muscle invasive bladder cancer, for which radical cystectomy with urinary diversion is the gold standard of treatment.
Patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive stent or no stent during RCIC (Stent: N=35, No Stent: N=35). Randomization will be stratified by surgical approach (open vs. robotic vs. hybrid). The randomization schedule will be created by the study statistician using the method of random permuted blocks.
Stent placement, if applicable, will be a one-time occurrence inserted during RCIC, and be removed typically between 7-21 days post-op at the discretion of the surgeon. For this study, subjects will continue to be followed for up to 1-year post-op. Subjects will be enrolled in this study for 12 months.
Post treatment, the patient will have a follow-up visit within 30 days post-operatively, 3 months follow-up visit (+/- 1 week), 6 months follow-up visit (+/- 21 days), and 12 months follow-up visit (+/- 21 days). Patient will be followed for 12 months post treatment or until their death. Additional visits or follow-ups may be indicated for instances of the need for replacement of ureteral stents and catheters or percutaneous nephrostomies. The need for surgical repair for a ureteral leak or stricture may also occur.
The Principal Investigator hypothesizes that patients with no ureteral stent placement during RCIC will not be associated with a higher risk of post-op complications compared to those with a ureteral stent.
