Sequential intravesical gemcitabine and docetaxel in the treatment of BCG-naive patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Abstract

469 Background: Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is the standard of care for patients with new non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) after transurethral tumor resection. While BCG has been compared to single agent intravesical chemotherapy as first-line therapy, few studies exist comparing BCG to sequential intravesical chemotherapy regimens. The objective of this work was to determine the efficacy of sequential intravesical gemcitabine and docetaxel (Gem/Doce) in BCG naïve patients with NMIBC. Methods: Patients without prior BCG exposure who underwent Gem/Doce intravesical treatments were retrospectively identified. These patients had been treated with 6 weekly instillations of gemcitabine (1 gram of gemcitabine in 50 ml of sterile water) followed immediately by docetaxel (37.5 mg of docetaxel in 50 mL of saline). Patients without recurrence then underwent maintenance therapy with monthly instillations for two years. Treatment success was defined as no bladder cancer recurrence and no cystectomy. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan Meier method. Results: 30 patients were treated with a median follow-up of 18 months. Eighty percent (n=24) of patients had high risk disease. Median age was 78 years old. The most common indications for Gem/Doce therapy were “advanced age/frailty” (n=15), “immunosuppression” (n=4), and “BCG Shortage” (n=4). Treatment success was 96% at 3 months, 89% at 1 year, and 89% at 2 years. No patients progressed or required cystectomy. Treatments were generally well tolerated, with only one patient unable to finish induction and two patients declining maintenance. Side-effects included urinary urgency/frequency (30%), dysuria (26%), and hematuria (23%). A need for dose reduction or delay was uncommon (16%). The all-cause mortality rate was 3.5% at 1 year, and 16.5% at 2 years. Neither bladder cancer nor the treatments were the cause of any of the deaths. Conclusions: Sequential intravesical gemcitabine and docetaxel is an effective treatment for BCG naïve NIMBC. Treatments are generally well tolerated even in a frail and comorbid patient population. Further evaluation of this combination therapy for BCG naïve disease is warranted.