California Cancer Registry data illustrate a peak in the incidence of bladder cancer in individuals 85 years or older. However, to our knowledge there is no known explanation for this late peak in bladder cancer. With the rate of bladder cancer in the population 85 years or older increasing at a rapid pace, it is critical to encourage investigators to include this age group as they continue to search for causative factors and genetic contributors to bladder cancer as well as effective treatments.

Surgical management of renal cell carcinoma is the most effective treatment for patients with localized disease. In patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma, immune modulation-based therapies are typically used to improve cancer specific survival via anti-angiogenic drugs. Similar to most cancers, tumor grade and stage are linked to the tumor’s biologic potential. Integrating these factors with patients’ performance status can help predict their long-term disease-free survival, the likelihood of tumor recurrence, and the median time to failure following surgery and immunotherapy. A novel integrated staging system and a postoperative renal cell carcinoma specific nomogram, along with standardized quality of life assessments have been shown to be useful clinical tools to aid in patient counseling, determining optimal follow-up imaging protocols, and identifying patients who might benefit from early enrollment in adjuvant therapy protocols. This article offers clinicians a review and summary of the most recent evidence-based research related to risk assessment among patients with newly diagnosed renal cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND This study investigated missing data in a large cancer dataset, to alert educators to the implications and limitations of missing data. METHODS The authors examined the California Cancer Registry for missing data by eight common cancer sites, seven sociodemographic and clinical variables, and the top three reporting sources. RESULTS The gender variable had no missing data, followed by age (0.1% missing), ethnicity (2.2%), stage (7.0%), differentiation (36.3%), and birthplace (42.5%). Hospitals’/clinics’ reports had the lowest percentages of missing data. CONCLUSIONS Educators should anticipate the limitations of missing data in large datasets to prevent methodological flaws and misinterpretations of research findings.