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JFSF Vol 5, No 3, September 2020, p.57-61

doi: 10.22540/JFSF-05-057

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Mini Review

Frailty assessment and postoperative complications in urologic oncology operations

Nikolaos A. Kostakopoulos1,2, Nikolaos D. Karakousis3,4

  1. Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, NHS Grampian, Aberdeen, UK
  2. Metropolitan General Hospital, 1st Department of Urology, Athens, Greece
  3. Department of Gastroenterology, Medical School of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, General Hospital of Athens “Laiko”, Greece
  4. Department of Physiology, Medical School of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece

Keywords: Frailty, Frailty calculator, Frailty index, Postoperative complications, Urologic oncology operations

Abstract

Major urologic oncology procedures such as radical cystectomy (RC), radical prostatectomy (RP), radical nephroureterectomy (RNU) and radical or partial nephrectomy are the gold standard operations for the treatment of urological malignancies not suitable to be dealt with using minimal invasive procedures such as transurethral resection or other conservative approaches. However, these surgical procedures carry significant risk of complications, especially in elderly and frail patients. The purpose of this review is to highlight the use of a wide variety of preoperative frailty and health status indexes and calculators. Recent data from large population based studies confirm that these calculators can assist physicians and urologists to predict the postoperative morbidity of patients undergoing major operations. Moreover, these frailty calculators can help urologists choose the most suitable and safe treatment for every individual patient. However, the absence of widely accepted specific urologic oncology calculators to predict the association between frailty and postoperative complications emphasizes the necessity for the use of a combination of calculators.