Bladder Preservation Research Articles

Neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy followed by selective bladder preservation chemoradiotherapy (CRT) in muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of bladder (MIBC): A combined retrospective analysis of two prospective studies.

496 Background: Bladder preservation CRT in patients with a clinical complete response (cCR) following neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy is one of the promising treatment strategies for MIBC. A combined analysis of raw data from two prospective phase II studies was performed to better evaluate the feasibility of selective bladder preservation CRT. Methods: The analysis was based on primary efficacy data from two independent studies, including 76 MIBC patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by bladder preservation CRT. The efficacy data included metastasis-free survival (MFS) and disease-free survival (DFS). For the present analysis, starting point of survivals was defined as the date of commencing CRT. Results: Sixty-four patients received gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC) combination chemotherapy in neoadjuvant setting, and 12 received nivolumab plus GC. After completion of planned neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 66 patients with a cCR and 10 who did not have a cCR but refused surgery were treated with CRT. With a median follow-up of 45 (95% CI, 41-48) months, a total of 39 recurrences was observed (51%): metastatic (n=28) and within the urinary tract (n=11). Median DFS or MFS was not reached. The 12- and 24-month DFS rates were 81% and 66%, respectively. MFS rates at 12- and 24-month were 87% and 75%, respectively. Both DFS (P=0.055) and MFS (P=0.014; HR 0.38; 95% CI, 0.17-0.85) appeared to be affected by the achievement of a cCR. Conclusions: The strategy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by selective bladder preservation CRT based on the cCR is feasible in the treatment of MIBC.

A phase II study of risk-based stratification after chemotherapy combined with PD-1 antibody: Two various bladder-sparing modalities for muscle invasive bladder cancer therapy (ReBirth).

TPS580 Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus radical cystectomy is the standard for cisplatin-eligible patients with cT2-4aN0M0 muscle invasive bladder cancer, however, some of them desperately need innate bladder. Developments in the last two decades suggest that well-documented Trimodal therapy(TMT) demonstrated durable oncologic control and long-term survival in selected patients. Nevertheless, personalized treatment based on responses of systematic treatment and biomarker are currently lacking. Additionally, concerning a balance between non-inferiority of hypofractionated radiation therapy in local control and late toxicity, the specified dose regimen combined with immunotherapy is worth exploring. "ReBirth" study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of two various bladder-sparing modalities with risk-based stratification after chemotherapy combined with PD-1 antibody. Methods: This is a single-arm, phase II trial that includes cT2-4aN0-1M0 patients who aged 18-85 years and histologically confirmed bladder urothelial carcinoma. Other key inclusion criteria: no prior anti PD-(L)1 therapy; ECOG 0-2 and cisplatin eligible. The trial consists of two stages. In the first stage, eligible patients will receive tislelizumab 200 mg in day 1 (D1), cisplatin 70 mg/m2 D1, and gemcitabine 1000 mg/m2 D1 and D8 every 21 days for four cycles. Patients will then be divided into two cohorts in the second stage based on the cystoscopy, urine cytology, and imaging combined with utDNA (urine tumor DNA). Patients who achieve clinical complete response (cT0, cTa) will enter into cohort 1 and treated with tislelizumab 200 mg IV Q3 for up to 6 months, while patients who did not achieve clinical complete response will enter into cohort 2 and treated with tislelizumab 200 mg IV Q3W for up to 6 months and chemoradiotherapy for whole bladder 44Gy/16 fractionation, if lymph node is positive, it can be dosed to the maximum tolerable dose, such as tumor boost 11Gy/4fractionation, combined with DDP as radiosensitizer. The primary endpoint is BIDFS (bladder intact disease-free survival) at one year, which is defined as time from initiation of protocol therapy until the development of muscle-invasive bladder cancer recurrence, regional pelvic recurrence, distant metastases, bladder cancer-related death, or cystectomy. Secondary endpoints include metastatic free survival rate at two years, BIDFS at two years and safety graded according to CTCAE V5.0. Tissue samples will be collected for genomic profiling and utDNA will be collected and examined for biomarker exploring in this bladder preservation therapy. Till Sep.2022, 5 of planned 30 patients have been enrolled. Clinical trial information: NCT05531123 .

A phase II trial of intravesical chemoimmunotherapy with gemcitabine and bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) for patients with BCG-exposed, high-grade, non-muscle–invasive bladder cancer.

TPS579 Background: The standard of care for high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) after exposure to induction only BCG or relapse >12 months after “adequate” BCG is retreatment with BCG. However, ~50% of patients will relapse within 6 months. Thus, there is a critical need to develop novel combination therapies to improve BCG immunotherapy efficacy. Combination BCG with immune checkpoint inhibition is associated with a ~12-18% risk of serious treatment-related adverse events and BCG combined with Mitomycin C (MMC) has unacceptable urinary toxicity. Intravesical Gemcitabine (GEM) is a common treatment for NMIBC, is well tolerated, has better efficacy after BCG than MMC, and, based on preclinical data, may synergistically enhance the efficacy of BCG by augmenting the immune tumor microenvironment. We completed a prospective Phase I trial of chemoimmunotherapy with gemcitabine and BCG in BCG-relapsed/BCG-exposed NMIBC that was well-tolerated (no treatment related grade ≥3 adverse events) with promising early efficacy (95% [19/20] 6-month complete response rate). No dose limiting toxicities were seen. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was 2000 mg gemcitabine and 50 mg TICE BCG. Methods: To address the need for more effective and less toxic bladder preserving treatment options by enhancing the effectiveness of BCG, we launched an investigator-initiated phase I/II trial of combination intravesical gemcitabine with BCG in patients with BCG-exposed NMIBC (NCT04179162). The Phase II portion is currently enrolling patients with BCG-exposed carcinoma in-situ (CIS ±Ta/T1) that recurred within 24 months of last BCG (BCG-exposed/BCG-relapsing NMIBC). Patients with BCG-unresponsive disease, contraindication to BCG, or prostatic/ureteral urothelial disease are excluded. Induction intravesical GEM (2000mg, twice weekly) is given weeks 1, 4, 7, and 10 and intravesical BCG (40mg, Tice strain, weekly) is given weeks 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, and 9. Responders receive SWOG maintenance BCG. The primary endpoint is clinical complete response (CR) at 6 months (absence of high-grade disease on cystoscopy/TURBT and negative cytology) using a Simon’s optimal 2-stage design testing the null hypothesis of a true CR of 55% at 6 months (based on historical outcomes of BCG alone) against a 1-sided alternative. In the first stage, the study would stop if ≤ 9/15 patients had a CR. In the second stage, the null hypothesis will be rejected if ≥ 29 CRs are observed in 43 total patients (type I error rate 5% and power of 80% if the true CR rate is 75%). Phase I patients treated at the MTD (14/25) are included in Phase II. Secondary outcomes include recurrence-free, progression-free, and cystectomy-free survival. Correlative studies explore immune and molecular predictors of response and resistance to chemoimmunotherapy in tumor tissue, urine, and blood. Clinical trial information: NCT04179162 .

Benefit of whole-pelvis radiation for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer: An inverse probability treatment-weighted analysis.

449 Background: Pelvic lymph node irradiation is still under debate for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) planned for curative-intent radiation-based therapy (RT). A previous randomized trial suggested bladder-only (BO)-RT was effective in reducing RT-related toxicity, while associated with non-inferior oncological outcomes – bladder preservation rates, disease-free survival, and overall survival (OS) – compared to whole-pelvis (WP)-RT. In this study, we sought to evaluate the impact of the radiation volume (BO-RT vs. WP-RT) on main oncological outcomes in patients with MIBC. Methods: This nationwide study included patients with urothelial MIBC (cT2-4aN0-2M0) who underwent curative RT at 10 academic centers across Canada. Patients clinically staged with pelvic or abdominal wall invasion (cT4b) or enlarged lymph nodes beyond the common iliac bifurcation (cN3) before RT were excluded. Patients were divided into two groups based on the RT volume: WP-RT vs. BO-RT. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and absolute standardized differences (ASDs) were used to balance baseline covariates across treatment groups. Regression models were used to assess the impact of the RT volume on the rates of complete response (CR) to treatment, cancer-specific survival (CSS), and OS while adjusting for potential confounding variables in the weighted cohorts. Results: A total of 599 patients were analyzed, out of whom 369 (61.6%) underwent WP-RT. Patients in the WP-RT group were younger (mean age 73.2 vs. 77.4; ASD 0.41), and more likely to have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) of 0-1 (82.1% vs. 73.5%; ASD 0.21), clinical node-positive disease (12.5% vs. 2.2%; ASD 0.40), and lymphovascular invasion (26.3% vs. 16.1%; ASD 0.25), compared to BO-RT. In addition, WP-RT patients were more commonly treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (20.9% vs. 10.4%; ASD 0.29) and concurrent chemotherapy (76.7% vs. 56.5%; ASD 0.44), compared to BO-RT. In the IPTW cohort, age, gender, ECOG PS, clinical staging, the proportion of patients with carcinoma in situ, lymphovascular invasion, variant urothelial histologies, hydronephrosis, and whose tumours were completely resected before RT, treated with NAC, and treated with concurrent chemotherapy were well balanced across groups (all ASDs < 0.10). In multivariable analysis, WP-RT did not impact CR rates post-RT (OR 1.14; p=0.526) but was associated with both CSS (HR 0.66; p=0.016) and OS (HR 0.68; p=0.002), independently of other prognostic factors (Table). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated a significant survival benefit with the use of WP-RT compared to BO-RT in patients with MIBC treated with curative intent. Additional randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm our findings.

A prospective phase II trial of neoadjuvant sintilimab in muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of bladder.

509 Background: To assess the efficacy and safety of the PD-1 antibody in neoadjuvant setting of muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of bladder (MIBC). Methods: In this prospective phase II trial (ChiCTR2000032730), eligible patients were cT2-T4 N0 MIBC, and were considered eligible for radical cystectomy (RC). Patients received sintilimab 200 mg on days 1, study treatment was repeated every 21 days up to 3 cycles before surgery. The primary endpoint was pathologic complete response (pCR, ypT0). Secondary endpoints included incidence of surgical related delayed events, relapse free survival, overall survival and safety. Results: Between Aug 2020 and Sep 2022, 15 patients (median age: 69, male 93.3%, PS=1 100%) were enrolled. The majority of patients (93.3%) completed the planned (median, 3; range 2 to 4) cycles of sintilimab without significant toxicities. The most common adverse events included hematuria (3/15), proteinuria (2/15), hypophosphatemia (2/15), hypoalbuminemia (2/15) and dysuria (2/15). Among the 15 patients who completed study treatment, 9 patients (60.0%) received RC. Among 6 patients who did not revive RC, 1 due to myasthenia gravis related to sintilimab, 1 due to progression disease, 3 patients refused RC due to bladder preserving, and 1 due to cardiac comorbidity unrelated to sintilimab. Pathologic results revealed 6 pCR (ypT0, 66.7%), 1 ypT0N1, 1 ypT2N0 and 1ypT4N0. At a median follow up of 181 days, they all had no disease recurrence and median DFS was not reached. 2 patients died of disease progression (1 refused RC, 1 had PD before RC). Conclusions: Neoadjuvant sintilimab was feasible and provided meaningful pathologic responses in patients with MIBC. Clinical trial information: ChiCTR2000032730 .

Oncological outcome of intraarterial chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy compared to radical cystectomy for patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer.

515 Background: Although radical cystectomy (RC) has been a standard treatment for muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), some patients are unfit or refuse RC. Intraarterial chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy (IAC-RT) is one of the bladder preservation techniques, but there are a few data in patients who performed IAC-RT without salvage RC. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of IAC-RT without RC compared to RC in patients with MIBC. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with MIBC (T2-4N0M0) who had received either IAC-RT or RC in our hospital between January 1999 and December 2019. Intraarterial chemotherapy consisted of cisplatin (30mg/m2) and adriamycin (20mg/m2) on day 1 of each 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th week. Concomitant radiotherapy (2 Gy/session, total 60 Gy) to whole pelvis was performed during chemotherapy. Salvage RC was not performed in all patients. Overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and metastasis-free survival (MFS) were compared between patients who received IAC-RT and RC. The prognostic factors of IAC-RT associated with OS were also investigated. Results: Forty-two and 143 patients received IAC-RT and RC, respectively. Of 42 patients who received IAC-RT, 28 (67%) and 14 (33%) were elective (refused RC) and imperative (comorbidity:7 poor PS:6 unresectable:1) cases, respectively. The patients who underwent IAC-RT were older (median; 77 vs 69 years old) and had poorer PS (≥2; 43% vs 4.9%) and shorter follow-up time (median; 21.9 vs 40.0 months) than those of RC. During follow up periods, metastasis, bladder cancer death, death of any cause was observed in 20, 19, and 27 patients with IAC-RT, 59, 55, and 49 patients with RC. In survival analyses, median OS was 38.7 months (95%CI, 16.9-74.7) with IAC-RT versus 154.0 months (95%CI, 70.6- not estimable (NE)) with RC, these OS curves were significantly different (P=0.001). There were not significant differences between two groups in DSS (median 46.5 vs not reached, P=0.06) and MFS (median 38.7 vs not reached, P=0.21). In multivariate analysis, clinical stage (≥T3; HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.04-3.46; P=0.04) and PS (≥2; HR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.16-4.33; P=0.02) were suggested as risk factors associated with poor OS, however, treatment procedure (IAC-RT or RC) did not associate with OS. Forty of 42 (95%) patients with IAC-RT had any adverse events (AEs). Although grade3 AEs were observed in 21 (50%) patients, most of them were hematological AEs and Grade 4/5 AEs was not observed. Conclusions: IAC-RT was a useful and tolerable treatment option for patients with MIBC who were unfit or refused RC.

Utility of ctDNA in predicting outcome and pathological complete response in patients with bladder cancer as a guide for selective bladder preservation strategies.

563 Background: Muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) accounts for ~25–30% of all bladder cancer diagnoses. With neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by radical cystectomy (RC) as standard-of-care, the 5-year survival rate ranges from 40%–60%. Bladder-sparing protocols (BSP) have emerged as a feasible alternative to RC for MIBC treatment, however better tools are needed. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic value of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in predicting recurrence in patients who achieved pathological complete response (pCR). Methods: We analyzed a previously described cohort of 68 patients (656 plasma samples; Christensen et al., JCO 2019) with MIBC who received NAC prior to cystectomy. Patients had an updated median follow-up of 58.94 months (range: 7.19-81.77) post-cystectomy. ctDNA was analyzed at baseline (before NAC; N=64), and prior to cystectomy (N=65) using a commercially available assay (Signatera, Natera, Inc.). Additionally, exploratory RNA-Seq was performed on tumors from 59 patients (samples with >5M total counts were utilized). Pathway analysis was used to compare ctDNA-positive and ctDNA-negative patients who failed to achieve pCR. Results: Of the 64 patients with ctDNA results available at baseline, 59.4% (38/64) tested ctDNA-negative, and of these 84.2% (32/38) achieved pCR. Furthermore, 40.6% (26/64) tested ctDNA-positive, and only 34.6% (9/26) achieved pCR. Likewise, prior to cystectomy, 83.9% (52/62) of patients were ctDNA-negative, and 80.7% (42/52) achieved pCR, while none of the ctDNA-positive patients achieved pCR (positive predictive value 100%; negative predictive value 80.8%). Based on both ctDNA timepoints, the probability of ctDNA-negative patients to achieve pCR was significantly higher than ctDNA-positive patients ( p<0.0001). Notably, ctDNA-positive patients without pCR demonstrated significantly poorer RFS and OS compared to the ctDNA-negative patients, at both timepoints (Baseline: RFS; HR=8.2, p=0.017, OS; HR=8.4, p=0.015, prior to cystectomy: RFS; HR=5.2, p=0.0078, OS; HR=4.8, p=0.012). Furthermore, ctDNA status at baseline and before cystectomy was a better predictor of RFS compared to pCR (HR=8.5, p<0.0001, HR=14, p<0.0001, respectively). Transcriptomic pathway analysis of patients who did not achieve pCR showed an enrichment of oncogenic pathways, namely EMT and angiogenesis, in tumors from ctDNA positive patients, whereas tumors from ctDNA negative patients showed an enrichment of anti-tumor immune signatures, including IFNα and IFNγ. Conclusions: Absence of ctDNA was significantly associated with pCR both at baseline and prior to cystectomy, identifying patients who may benefit from BSP. Larger cohorts are warranted to test the prognostic value of ctDNA combined with transcriptomic profiling in informing patient selection for avoiding cystectomy.

Approaches to Clinical Complete Response after Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Possibilities and Limitations

In the surgical oncology field, the change from a past radical surgery to an organ preserving surgery is a big trend. In muscle-invasive bladder cancer treatment, neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) followed by radical cystectomy (RC) is the standard of care for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients eligible for cisplatin. There is a growing interest in bladder preserving strategies after NAC because good oncologic outcome has been reported for pathologic complete response (pCR) patients after NAC, and many studies have continued to discuss whether bladder preservation treatment is possible for these patients. However, in actual clinical practice, decision-making should be determined according to clinical staging and there is a gap that cannot be ignored between clinical complete response (cCR) and pCR. Currently, there is a lack in a uniform approach to post-NAC restaging of MIBC and a standardized cCR definition. In this review, we clarify the gap between cCR and pCR at the current situation and focus on emerging strategies in bladder preservation in selected patients with MIBC who achieve cCR following NAC.

Clinical outcomes of adapted hypofractionated radiotherapy for bladder cancer in elderly patients.

To investigate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety of trimodal therapy (TMT) using a bifractionated split-course hypofractionated radiotherapy (RT) for non-metastatic muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) in elderly patients. We retrospectively reviewed the characteristics and outcomes of patients aged >75 years with non-metastatic MIBC suitable or not for radical cystectomy (RC) and treated with transurethral resection of bladder tumour followed by concomitant radio-chemotherapy (platinum salt and 5-fluorouracil) at two institutions (Saint Louis Hospital, Paris, France and European Georges Pompidou Hospital, Paris, France) between 1990 and 2021. RT consisted of an adapted bifractionated split-course hypofractionated RT. Acute toxicities were reported according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 5.0 and late toxicities were reported according to the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer late radiation morbidity scoring schema. The primary end-point was overall survival (OS). Secondary end-points included other survivals outcomes and safety. A total of 122 patients were identified, with a median (range) follow-up of 51.1(0.5-210.8)months. In all, 83.5% of patients completed radio-chemotherapy. The OS rate was 61.7% at 3 years and 51.2% at 5 years. In multivariate analysis, the completion of RT and concomitant chemotherapy were significantly associated with better OS and cancer-specific survival. For patients fit for RC, a complete histological response was achieved for 77 patients (91.7%) with radio-chemotherapy and the bladder conservation rate was 90.5%. Acute and late Grade ≥3 toxicities were <5%. Bifractionated split-course hypofractionated RT with concomitant chemotherapy regimen appears to be well-tolerated and effective. Trimodal treatment seems to be a curative option for elderly patients unfit for radical surgery compared with palliative care and may contribute to improved survival in these patients.

Impact of Maximal Transurethral Resection on Pathological Outcomes at Cystectomy in a Large, Multi-institutional Cohort.

While the presence of residual disease at the time of radical cystectomy for bladder cancer is an established prognostic indicator, controversy remains regarding the importance of maximal transurethral resection prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We characterized the influence of maximal transurethral resection on pathological and survival outcomes using a large, multi-institutional cohort. We identified 785 patients from a multi-institutional cohort undergoing radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. We employed bivariate comparisons and stratified multivariable models to quantify the effect of maximal transurethral resection on pathological findings at cystectomy and survival. Of 785 patients, 579 (74%) underwent maximal transurethral resection. Incomplete transurethral resection was more frequent in patients with more advanced clinical tumor (cT) and nodal (cN) stage (P < .001 and P < .01, respectively), with more advanced ypT stage at cystectomy and higher rates of positive surgical margins (P < .01 and P < .05, respectively). In multivariable models, maximal transurethral resection was associated with downstaging at cystectomy (adjusted odds ratio 1.6, 95% CI 1.1-2.5). In Cox proportional hazards analysis, maximal transurethral resection was not associated with overall survival (adjusted HR 0.8, 95% CI 0.6-1.1). In patients undergoing transurethral resection for muscle-invasive bladder cancer prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, maximal resection may improve pathological response at cystectomy. However, the ultimate effects on long-term survival and oncologic outcomes warrant further investigation.

Which Patients To Consider for Bladder Preservation After a Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

The decision on which patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer to consider for bladder preservation remains controversial. New promising technologies and biomarkers may allow to precise selection of patients for bladder preservation in the future. Currently, bladder preservation should only be considered in highly selected cases and in the setting of clinical trials.

Patient Preferences for Treatment of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin–unresponsive Non–muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer: A Cross-country Choice Experiment

BackgroundPatients with non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) that is unresponsive to bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy face a difficult choice. Immediate radical cystectomy (RC) is effective but might represent overtreatment. Continuing bladder preservation with medical therapy is an alternative, but it risks progression to muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) and a reduction in survival. ObjectiveTo understand the trade-offs patients are willing to make in selecting treatments for BCG-unresponsive NMIBC. Design, setting, and participantsAdults with NMIBC from the UK, France, Germany, and Canada who reported current receipt of BCG, disease unresponsive to BCG, or receipt of RC in the previous 12 mo after failure of BCG were recruited to participate in an online choice experiment. Patients were asked to make repeated choices between two hypothetical medical treatments and the option to undergo immediate RC. The medical treatments required trade-offs between the time to RC, the mode and frequency of administration, the risk of experiencing serious side effects, and the risk of disease progression. Outcome measurements and statistical analysisError component logit models were used to calculate relative attribute importance (RAI) scores as the maximum percentage contribution to a preference and acceptable benefit-risk trade-offs. Results and limitationsMost of the 107 participants (average age 63 yr) never selected RC (89%) as their preferred option in the choice experiment. Preferences were most affected by time to RC (RAI 55%), followed by risk of progressing to MIBC (RAI 25%), medication administration (RAI 12%), and the risk of serious side effects (RAI 8%). To increase the time to RC from 1 yr to 6 yr, patients accepted a 43.8% increase in the risk of progression and a 66.1% increase in the risk of serious side effects. ConclusionsPatients with BCG-treated NMIBC valued bladder-sparing treatments and were willing to make substantial benefit-risk trade-offs to delay RC. Patient summaryAdults with bladder cancer not invading the bladder muscle completed an online experiment in which they chose between hypothetical medications and bladder removal. The results show that patients would be willing to accept different risks associated with medications to delay bladder removal. Patients considered disease progression the most important risk of medicinal treatment.

Real-world Outcomes of Bladder Carbogen and Nicotinamide (BCON) in Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer (MIBC)

Purpose: Bladder carbogen and nicotinamide (BCON), combined with radiotherapy, is a standard of care in the bladder-preserving treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). With evidence of survival advantage, NICE recommends neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) before bladder preservation. However, in the definitive trial, patients did not receive NAC. This study assessed real-world outcomes of BCON alone or with NAC (NAC-BCON).

Bladder preservation or complete cystectomy during pelvic exenteration of patients with locally advanced or recurrent rectal cancer, what should we do?

IntroductionIn patients with locally advanced (LARC) or locally recurrent (LRRC) rectal cancer and bladder involvement, pelvic exenteration (PE) with partial (PC) or radical (RC) cystectomy can potentially offer a cure. The study aim was to compare PC and RC in PE patients in terms of oncological outcome, post-operative complications and quality-of-life (QoL). Materials & methodsThis was a retrospective cohort analysis of a prospectively maintained surgical database. Patients who underwent PE for LARC or LRRC cancer with bladder involvement between 1998 and 2021 were included. Post-operative complications and overall survival were compared between patients with PC and RC. Results60 PC patients and 269 RC patients were included. Overall R0 resection was 84.3%. Patients with LRRC and PC had poorest oncological outcome with 69% R0 resection; patients with LARC and PC demonstrated highest R0 rate of 96.3% (P = 0.008). Overall, 1-, 3- and 5-year OS was 90.8%, 68.1% and 58.6% after PC, and 88.7%, 62.2% and 49.5% after RC. Rates of urinary sepsis or urological leaks did not differ between groups, however, RC patients experienced significantly higher rates of perineal wound- and flap-related complications (39.8% vs 25.0%, P = 0.032). ConclusionPC as part of PE can be performed safely with good oncological outcome in patients with LARC. In patients with LRRC, PC results in poor oncological outcome and a more aggressive surgical approach with RC seems justified. The main benefit of PC is a reduction in wound related complications compared to RC, although more urological re-interventions are observed in this group.

Systemic therapy in bladder preservation.

Bladder cancer is an aggressive and lethal disease. Even when presenting as localized muscle-invasive disease, the 5-year survival rate is about 70%, and the recurrence rate after radical cystectomy is approximately 50%. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has the potential to downstage the primary tumor and treat micrometastases, leading to a decrease in recurrence rates and an increase in cure rates. There is level 1 evidence in favor of neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy prior to radical cystectomy. However, data from clinical trials evaluating NAC for patients undergoing bladder-sparing treatments are less robust, so this strategy remains controversial. The response to NAC is prognostic and patients with favorable pathological response have better overall survival. Strategies to select patients based on molecular biomarkers have the potential to guide treatment decisions and even de-intensify treatment, avoiding local treatment for those with complete responses to systemic therapy. This review outlines the current literature on the use of NAC in the context of bladder preservation for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, highlights neoadjuvant studies in patients ineligible for cisplatin-based NAC, and discusses novel bladder-preservation strategies, including multimodality combinations and biomarker-driven studies of definitive chemotherapy.

Bladder preservation by neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by concurrent chemoradiation for muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

In Egypt, bladder cancer (BC) represents about 8.7% of cancers in both sexes. In Egyptian men, it accounts for over 30% of all cancers, which makes it the second most frequent cancer. The standard curative treatment for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) has been radical cystectomy (RC) with urinary diversion and pelvic lymphadenectomy. Concomitant chemoradiation therapy (CCRT) in MIBC appears to produce results that are comparable to those of RC. Between January 2018 and March 2021, 34 BC- diagnosed patients, who refused RC, were enrolled. They received transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (TURBT) followed by 3 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) with gemcitabine, cisplatin, and CCRT. Concomitant chemoradiation therapy with cisplatin, as a chemosensitizer, was administered to patients who experienced a complete response (CR) and a partial response (PR) ≥ 50%. Following NACT, CCRT was given to 27 patients (79.45%) who had either a PR > 50% or CR. Seven patients (20.5%) showed PR below 50%, stable disease, or progressive disease; 4 of them underwent RC followed by postoperative radiation. The average follow-up period was 46 months (range: 6-52 months). Twenty-three patients (67.6%) were still alive at the last check-up. Disease-free survival and 3-year overall survival were 70.8% and 65.1%, respectively. Bladder preservation provides survival rates comparable to those of MIBC patients, but with a higher quality of life. The findings show good survival rates without metastasis; nevertheless, more multicentre trials with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are required to confirm these findings.

Predicting Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer.

Muscle-invasive bladder cancer is a life-threatening disease best managed with multimodal therapy. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to cystectomy significantly improves survival with the greatest benefit noted in patients with a complete pathologic response noted at cystectomy. While radical cystectomy is currently an important part of the treatment plan, surgical morbidity remains high. Accurate prediction of complete responses to chemotherapy would enable avoiding the morbidity of radical cystectomy. Multiple clinical, pathologic, molecular, and radiographic predictors have been evaluated. Clinical and standard pathologic findings have not been found to be accurate predictors of complete response. To date, tumor genomic findings have been the most promising and have led to multiple clinical trials to evaluate if bladder preservation is possible in select patients. Radiomics has shown initial promise with larger validation series needed. These predictors can be further characterized as treatment specific and non-treatment specific. With the potential changing landscape of neoadjuvant therapy prior to radical cystectomy and the limitations of individual predictors of a complete response, a panel of several biomarkers may enhance patient selection for bladder preservation. The aim of this review is to summarize predictors of complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy.

Intravesical Therapy Compared to Radical Cystectomy Among Patients With Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Requiring Additional Treatment After Induction BCG.

Many patients with recurrent high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer after intravesical bacillus calmette-guerin (BCG) face a difficult decision between radical cystectomy (RC) or salvage intravesical therapy (IVT). We sought to determine if there is a difference in overall survival RC and IVT after previous treatment with BCG. We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with Ta, T1, and Tis bladder cancer treated with induction BCG in the SEER-Medicare dataset from 2000 to 2015. We used a proportional hazards regression model to compare differences in survival between patients having RC and IVT. We adjusted for confounding using a propensity score and stratified our analysis according to timing of treatment and stage at diagnosis. We identified 3940 patients who received either IVT (79%) or RC (21%) following induction BCG. Among patients treated within 12 months of BCG, there was no significant difference in survival between RC and IVT (HR 0.92, 95% CI 0.81-1.04) and 17% of patients having early IVT ultimately required RC. Among patients treated at least 12 months after BCG, RC was associated with worse survival than IVT (HR 1.19, 95% CI 1.06-1.35) and 10% of patients having late IVT ultimately required RC. Among patients with bladder cancer who required additional treatments after induction BCG, we did not observe a difference in overall survival between IVT and RC within 12 months of starting BCG. While RC remains the gold-standard for high risk recurrent NMIBC after BCG, bladder preservation with IVT may be appropriate for well-selected patients.

Sacrococcygeal teratomas: a case-based review from the perspective of individual multidisciplinary experts.

Sacrococcygeal teratoma (SCT) is a rare congenital tumor originating from a variant of extragonadal germ cell neoplasm. Herein, we present three cases of neonatal SCTs undergoing surgical resection and reconstruction. We also review the literature to discuss the importance of proper perinatal management and timely surgical intervention depending on the tumor type and maturity to prevent malignant transformation and recurrence and ensure functional outcomes. Three cases of SCT were retrospectively analyzed. All infants underwent complete surgical resection of the SCT and coccygectomy during their neonatal/infancy period, followed by pelvic floor and buttock reconstruction while minimizing buttock contour deformity and undesirable skin scar. Two of the cases were histopathologically diagnosed as predominantly cystic mature teratomas of Altman types I and IV, and the third was a mature teratoma of Altman type II. There were no complications or tumor recurrence during the average follow-up period of 5.3years. This case-based review highlights the role of multidisciplinary team approaches, including prenatal monitoring, oncologic resection, and adequate reconstruction according to the type of tumor and anomaly. Optimal perinatal evaluation allows promising oncologic and functional outcomes in terms of timely intervention to eliminate tumor recurrence and malignant transformation. Complete oncologic surgical resection of SCTs should also include proper functional preservation strategies, such as the reconstruction of the pelvic floor, cosmetic buttock contouring, and preservation of bladder and bowel sphincter function.

Radical Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor in Organ-confined Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer: Yes!

Muscle-invasive bladder cancer is a potentially lethal disease often impacting elder and comorbid patients. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by radical cystectomy is associated with morbidity and is an option that many patients refuse. Maximal transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) as part of a bladder preservation strategy can achieve surgical cure and may improve long-term recurrence-free survival. We encourage bladder preservation after maximal TURBT for appropriate patients.