NMIBC Risk Calculators: How Useful Are They for the Practicing Urologist and How Can Their Clinical Utility Be Improved?

Abstract

The natural history of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) in individual patients can be unpredictable. Although there are known clinical and molecular factors associated with tumor recurrence and progression, it is challenging to reconcile these data during a typical patient encounter within a busy clinic. The authors discuss the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer's risk tables along with other models for predicting prognosis in patients with NMIBC. The authors also describe their advantages and disadvantages and the barriers to using these risk models in daily clinical practice and provide a future perspective on prognostic models.