Radiotherapy concurrent with weekly gemcitabine after transurethral tumor resection in muscle ınvasive bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVE

In this report, we determined the efficacy and the toxicity of low dose weekly gemcitabine with radiotherapy, in medically unfit or refused surgery muscle-invasive bladder cancer (BC) patients.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

From 2008 to 2012, 15 patients were included into the retrospective analysis. Weekly gemcitabine was administered at a rate of 50 mg/m(2) with a median dose of 63 Gy radiotherapy.

RESULTS

The median age was 69 (range, 55-86). Median follow-up was 15 months (range, 5-53 months). A complete response was achieved in 12 patients (80%). Median progression free survival and overall survival were 15 months (range, 7-23 months) and 18 months (range not calculated), respectively. Local recurrence was found in 3 patients (20%) and distant recurrence was found in 5 patients (33.3%) for the entire group. While salvage surgery was performed on 1 patient, salvage chemotherapy was delivered for 4 patients. Treatment was well tolerated, there was no treatment interruption or instances of toxic death. A serious toxicity (grade 3) cystitis was seen in only 1 patient.

CONCLUSIONS

Multimodality treatment of muscle invasive BC proved a feasible and effective treatment option. Gemcitabine based chemoradiation is an active treatment option with a low toxicity profile for patients with muscle invasive BC, who are not suitable medically or refused to surgery.