Current clinical practice gaps in the treatment of intermediate‐ and high‐risk non‐muscle‐invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) with emphasis on the use of bacillus Calmette‐Guérin (BCG): results of an international individual patient data survey (IPDS)

Abstract

ObjectivesTo examine the management of intermediate- and high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), particularly with regard to the use of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) therapy, in North America and Europe.To compare NMIBC management practices to European Association of Urology (EAU) and American Urological Association (AUA) guideline recommendations for the management of intermediate- and high-risk NMIBC.Patients and MethodsIn all, 102 urologists from Europe and North America participated in this retrospective on-line chart review, which was conducted between 1 April 2011 and 30 April 2012.Participants selected the charts of the first 10 intermediate- (defined as multiple or recurrent low-grade tumours) or high-risk (defined as any T1 and/or high-grade/G3 tumours and/or carcinoma in situ) patients who underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumour in 2009.Physicians retrospectively reviewed the charts and completed an on-line survey consisting of questions related to diagnosis, planned treatment, treatment status and follow-up.In all, 971 patients (197 intermediate-risk; 774 high-risk) were included in the analysis; frequency counts and associated percentages were used to analyse treatment variables.ResultsIn all, 47% of intermediate-risk patients received EAU or AUA guideline-recommended intravesical therapy: intravesical chemotherapy, BCG induction therapy or BCG induction plus maintenance.Of the high-risk patients, 50% received maintenance BCG as recommended by the EAU and the AUA; although not recommended for high-risk NMIBC, 12.5% received intravesical chemotherapy.Of patients prescribed maintenance BCG, 93% were scheduled for at least 1 year of therapy.Notably, only 15% discontinued BCG maintenance and, of these discontinuations, 65% were due to reasons unrelated to BCG-associated adverse events.ConclusionsThere is significant non-adherence to EAU and AUA guideline recommendations for BCG use in intermediate- and high-risk NMIBC.However, most of those patients prescribed BCG maintenance therapy are scheduled for at least 1 year of therapy, as recommended by current guidelines for NMIBC management, and BCG maintenance discontinuation is low.