Recent improvements in the detection and treatment of nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer

Abstract

In total, 70–80% of newly diagnosed bladder cancers are confined to the mucosa and staged as Ta, T1 or carcinoma in situ according to the 2002 tumor, lymph nodes and metastasis classification. The standard treatment for these nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancers is transurethral tumor resection with or without adjuvant intravesical chemotherapy or intravesical immunotherapy and subsequent follow-up. Diagnosis and follow-up of nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer offers two main problems. First, approximately 10–20% of all tumors are not seen in standard cystoscopy. Additionally, frequently repeated follow-up cystoscopies are bothersome for the patient. As an adjunct to standard cystoscopy, fluorescence-guided cystoscopy has demonstrated significantly higher tumor detection rates and optimized patient treatment in recent Phase III studies. Second, routinely performed urine cytology is characterized by high specificity but low sensitivity. Today, several urine tests are available that may increase diagnostic accuracy and potentially prolong intervals of follow-up cystocopy. Owing to rather high recurrence rates after transurethral tumor resection in most tumors and high progression rates in poorly differentiated tumors, adjuvant intravesical chemotherapy or intravesical immunotherapy has gained widespread use in patients with nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer. Only a few further immunomodulatory drugs, such as recombinant cytokines, have shown significant clinical effectiveness. Additional approaches, such as photodynamic therapy with different photosensitizers and thermotherapy in combination with intravesical chemotherapy, have been evaluated in Phase III studies.