Intravesical instillation of adriamycin in treatment of bladder cancer. A review

Immunohistochemical analysis of Ki-67, p21waf1/cip1 and apoptosis in marker lesions from patients with superficial bladder tumours treated with vinorelbine intravesical therapy in a preliminary phase I trial

OBJECTIVE

To investigate Ki-67 and p21Waf1/Cip1 expression and apoptosis, before and after treatment, in tumour biopsies obtained from patients with superficial bladder cancer who underwent vinorelbine intravesical therapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Twenty patients with high-risk superficial bladder cancer (including one or more of the following parameters: tumour diameter > 3 cm, histological grade 3, or multicentric tumours) were treated 1-6 times (weekly) with intravesical vinorelbine (50 mg/mL) instillations. Transurethral tumour marker biopsies were obtained one week before the first instillation of the drug and one week after the last. The biopsies were immunostained for Ki-67 and p21Waf1/Cip1 with monoclonal antibodies, on tissue sections derived from paraffin-embedded samples obtained before and after vinorelbine treatments. In addition, apoptosis was determined using a terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP biotin nick-end labelling (TUNEL) technique.

RESULTS

There were no significant differences in the cell proliferation marker Ki-67 in biopsies taken before or after treatment. However, p21Waf1/Cip1 showed significantly higher expression in biopsies obtained after vinorelbine treatment, with median (range) values of 40 (20-90)% before and 70 (50-80)% after (P < 0.001, paired nonparametric Wilcoxon test). The apoptotic index was significantly higher after vinorelbine therapy, with median (range) values of 0.89 (0.06-3.8)% before and 2.25 (0.17-18.7)% after treatment (P < 0.001, paired nonparametric Wilcoxon test). Despite the brief treatment and few patients there was a clinical response in nine patients, together with low toxicity in all.

CONCLUSION

The intravesical treatment of tumours with vinorelbine affects p21Waf1/Cip1 expression without blocking cell proliferation, although increasing apoptosis. The preliminary results suggest that vinorelbine may be useful for treating superficial bladder tumours, and thus a phase II study is warranted.

Intravesical instillation of adriamycin in the presence or absence of verapamil for the treatment of superficial bladder cancer: preliminary report of a collaborative study

A case-controlled collaborative study on the intravesical administration of Adriamycin in the presence or absence of verapamil, a calcium-channel blocker, as chemotherapy of superficial bladder cancer was carried out at two universities, Okayama and Kagoshima, and their affiliated hospitals. Although little is known about the expression of P-glycoprotein in superficial bladder cancer, it may be a cause of multidrug resistance (MDR). Verapamil was used as an inhibitor of P-glycoprotein. Arm A consisted of Adriamycin given at 50 mg/50 ml saline, and arm B constituted Adriamycin given at 50 mg/40 ml saline plus 5 ampules (10 ml) of injectable verapamil. The drugs were instilled into the bladder for 3 consecutive days in each of 3 consecutive weeks for a total of 9 instillations. No significant difference in antitumor effects was observed between arm A and arm B. Recurrent tumors responded better than did primary tumors to both arm-A and arm-B treatments (P = 0.012). In both treatment arms, significant differences (P = 0.031) in the response rate were found between tumors with diameters of less than 1 cm and those measuring 1-3 cm in diameter. Although the number of evaluable patients was limited, recurrent subjects who had previously received Adriamycin instillations responded in both treatment arms.

Histopathological effects and recovery rate of rat bladders following intravesical instillation of thiotepa, doxorubicin and mitomycin C

A study was made of the local reactions and systemic effects induced by intravesical instillations of thiotepa, doxorubicin and mitomycin C in rats. The control group received normal saline. In the 1-dose short-term experiments, rats treated with doxorubicin and mitomycin C had a high incidence of chemical reactions, including congestion of the mucosa with methylene blue stain, increased bladder weight with oedematous changes either in the mucosa (doxorubian) or the muscle layer (mitomycin C), and infiltration of polymorphonuclear cells 3 days after instillation. These local changes disappeared within 10 days. In long-term experiments with weekly instillations of chemotherapeutic drugs, the rats showed no significant change in weight, methylene blue staining or mucosal congestion. A high percentage of pyuria and microscopic haematuria with submucosal/muscular fibrosis was noted in rats receiving doxorubicin or mitomycin C. A severe dysplastic change in the urothelium was noted in rats treated with mitomycin C. These results suggest that careful follow-up is required in patients receiving intravesical doxorubicin or mitomycin C because of possible severe side effects in the bladder.

Intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin in the treatment of superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder

Pasteur strain bacillus Calmette-Guerin was used to treat 145 patients with superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder: 47 had established residual disease (therapeutic group) and 130 received prophylactic/adjuvant therapy (including 32 who had a complete response in the therapeutic group and then were placed into the prophylactic group). Among the patients in the therapeutic group a complete response rate of 68 per cent (32 of 47 patients, 95 per cent confidence limits 55 to 81 per cent) was achieved. Of those in the prophylactic/adjuvant group 85 per cent (111 of 130 patients, 95 per cent confidence limits 73 to 91 per cent) remain free of disease. The median followup for the therapeutic group was 17 months (range 3 to 49 months). In the prophylactic/adjuvant therapy group the followup was greater than 3 years in 7 per cent, 2 to 3 years in 23 per cent, 1 to 2 years in 29 per cent and up to 1 year in 41 per cent (median 18 months). Our study confirms that Pasteur strain bacillus Calmette-Guerin is safe and efficacious in the treatment and prevention of recurrent superficial bladder carcinoma.