Bladder sparing approach for initial T1G3 bladder cancer: Do multifocality, size of tumor or concomitant carcinoma in situ matter? A long-term analysis of 132 patients.

OBJECTIVES

In T1 bladder cancer (BC) multifocality, size of tumor (> or =3 cm) and concomitant carcinoma in situ (CIS) are used to stratify patients' risk. We compared the long-term results in patients with initial T1G3 bc treated with transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB), bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) instillations and repeat resection with special regard to these clinical risk factors. The aim was to determine if they influence the outcome in the bladder sparing approach for initial T1G3 bc.

METHODS

One hundred and thirty-two consecutive patients with initial T1G3 and no prior history of BC were identified. All patients completed six weekly adjuvant BCG instillations followed by control TURB. Follow-up consisted of cystoscopy with bladder wash cytology every 3 months for 2 years and every 6 months thereafter.

RESULTS

Forty-two percent of patients had residual disease, 65% developed recurrence of any stage and 41% had progression to muscle-invasive disease. Cancer-specific survival was 89% and 78% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Only CIS was significantly correlated with all end points on multivariate analysis. While the presence of one or two risk factors was not related to recurrence, progression or cancer-related death, the presence of all three risk factors predicted the latter.

CONCLUSIONS

While no guideline has been established for the decision between cystectomy and bladder sparing, concomitant CIS and the presence of all three risk factors together seem to predict an adverse oncological outcome in the bladder sparing approach.