A 71-yr-old man was transferred to our institution with multiple and recurrent high-grade pTa bladder cancer 26mo after an initial presentation of multiple and large pTa low-grade tumors and concomitant carcinoma in situ, treated with transurethral resection plus 6-mo postoperative mitomycin C. This case discusses several treatment options in the absence of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). Immediate radical cystectomy is an option with excellent survival, since there is a substantial risk of understaging and disease progression; however, this results in overtreatment in ∼50% of these patients. Therefore, a conservative approach could be intravesical combination therapy such as gemcitabine/docetaxel or epirubicin/interferon. In addition, device-assisted intravesical therapy is becoming an option to consider. Finally, patients could be included in trials such as immunotherapy trials. PATIENT SUMMARY: This 71-yr-old patient was diagnosed with recurrent, moderately severe noninvasive bladder tumors, which were removed. The recommended additional therapy, intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) instillations, was not available. Both the pros and the cons of radical surgery (bladder removal) and a more conservative approach (other intravesical treatments) are discussed.
European urology oncology. 2019 Jul 16 [Epub ahead of print]
Johannes Alfred Witjes, Maurizio Brausi, Per-Uno Malmstrom
Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: ., Urologia dell’Ospedale di Carpi, Carpi, MO, Italy., Department of Surgical Sciences, Urology, University Hospital Ing, Uppsala, Sweden.