ABSTRACT

Bladder cancer is one of the leading cancers all over the world and is the fifth among the cancer related mortality. Radical cystectomy and urinary diversion surgery; even if it has lost its traditional morbidity and mortality rates, still stands as one of the serious and major operations in urologic armamentarium. Quality of life issues are gaining much more importance in the new millennium with the significantly increased life expectancy. As demonstrated in many studies, the age of the patient is a factor increasing morbidity and mortality rates in radical cystectomy and urinary diversion. In the last decades beside geriatric patients’ increased expectancies, new developments in surgical techniques and materials, postoperative care and anesthetic agents and techniques, the morbidity and mortality rates of radical cystectomy has reached to acceptable levels in this population as well as the quality life issues. As demonstrated in contemporary large clinical series, centers with high volume of patients, patient selection which will be made by considering postoperative care and comorbidity are remarkable since they are factors increasing the success.