Purpose: We evaluate the efficacy and bladder preservation rate of combined modality therapy consisting of deep transurethral resection of the primary bladder tumor followed by cisplatin, methotrexate and vinblastine chemotherapy in patients with muscle invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.
Materials and methods: A total of 40 consecutive patients with clinical stage T2-T4 NX M0 bladder cancer were included in the study and treated with transurethral resection followed by 3 courses of chemotherapy. Chemotherapy consisted of 100 mg./m.2 cisplatin intravenously on day 1, 30 mg./m.2 methotrexate intravenously on days 1 and 8, and 4 mg./m.2 vinblastine intravenously on days 1 and 8 administered every 21 days. Patients with disease in complete clinical remission after cycle 3 of therapy received 3 additional chemotherapy courses. Patients in whom complete clinical remission persisted after cycle 6 were closely followed with no further therapy until disease progression.
Results: A complete clinical remission was achieved in 21 patients (53%) after the first 3 cycles of therapy and a partial response occurred in 10 (25%), for an overall response rate of 78% (95% confidence interval [CI] 62% to 89%). With a median followup of 78 months (range 70 to 109) the estimated 7-year progression-free and overall survival rates were 40% (95% CI 25% to 55%) and 35% (95% CI 20% to 50%), respectively. The 7-year survival rate with a functional bladder for complete clinical remission cases was 52% (95% CI 30% to 74%). Low grade, small tumor, absence of concomitant carcinoma in situ and response to therapy were all significant predictors for an increased probability of bladder preservation in univariate analysis. However, response to therapy was the only variable with independent prognostic value in the multivariate analysis (p = 0.002).
Conclusions: Transurethral resection of bladder tumor followed by cisplatin, methotrexate and vinblastine chemotherapy results in long-term bladder preservation in a significant proportion of responding patients, and may be an acceptable alternative to radical surgery in select patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer.