Combined-modality therapy with gemcitabine and radiotherapy as a bladder preservation strategy: results of a phase I trial

News and prospects on radiotherapy for bladder cancer: Is trimodal therapy becoming the gold standard?

Trimodal therapy consisting of transurethral resection of bladder tumors followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy, has emerged as a valuable therapeutic alternative to radical cystectomy in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer. Concomitant radiosensitising chemotherapy is a component of trimodality increasing locoregional control compared to radiotherapy alone. The combinations 5-fluorouracil with mitomycin or cisplatin are the best supported in the literature. Gemcitabine appears to be a feasible and promising alternative. There is considerable international heterogeneity in terms of dose, volumes and fractionation. The most commonly used regimens are moderately hypofractionated (55Gy in 20 fractions over 4 weeks) and normofractionated (64Gy in 32 fractions) regimens. Radiotherapy for bladder cancer is an effective and evolving treatment, with current technical developments, and studies of new combinations with systemic treatments underway.

Long-Term Results of Bladder Preservation With Twice-Daily Radiation Plus 5-Fluorouracil/Cisplatin or Daily Radiation Plus Gemcitabine for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer-Updated Report of NRG/RTOG 0712: A Randomized Phase 2 Trial

PURPOSE

For bladder-sparing treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer, 5-fluorouracil/cisplatin with twice-daily radiation (FCT) or gemcitabine plus daily radiation (GD) are effective chemoradiation (CRT) regimens. This trial evaluated these regimens and demonstrated efficacy with either regimen at 3 years. With further follow-up, longer-term results are reported here.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Patients with cT2 to cT4a muscle-invasive bladder cancer were randomized to FCT or GD. Patients had a transurethral resection and induction CRT to 40 Gy. Patients with a complete response received consolidation CRT to 64 Gy. Others had cystectomy. Adjuvant gemcitabine/cisplatin chemotherapy was administered. The primary endpoint was freedom from distant metastasis (FDM). This updated analysis reports 7-year data. Toxicity and efficacy endpoints, including bladder-intact distant metastasis-free survival (BI-DMFS) were also assessed.

RESULTS

From December 2008 to April 2014, 70 patients were enrolled; 66 were eligible for analysis, 33 per arm. Median follow-up was 9.1 years for eligible living patients. At 7 years, FDM was 65% and 73% for FCT and GD, respectively. Bladder-intact distant metastasis-free survival was 58% (95% CI, 41-76) and 68% (95% CI, 51-84), respectively. The post hoc hazard ratio of 0.75 (95% CI, 0.37-1.55) showed no difference between treatments (P = .44). Overall survival at 7 years was 48% and 59%. There were 4 and 5 cystectomies performed for FCT and GD, respectively. In the FCT arm, there were 5 (16%), 1 (3%), and 0 grade 3, 4, and 5 late toxicities reported, respectively. In the GD arm, there were 7 (23%), 0, and 0 grade 3, 4, and 5 late toxicities reported, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Both regimens maintained high FDM rates at 7 years. Cystectomy rates were low and overall survival rates were high on both arms. Late toxicity rates were low. Either gemcitabine and daily radiation or a cisplatin-based regimen are effective bladder-sparing therapies.

Organ preservation in muscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The most common definitive treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is radical cystectomy. However, removing the bladder and surrounding organs poses risks of morbidity that can reduce quality of life, and raises the risk of death. Treatment strategies that preserve the organs can manage the local tumor and mitigate the risk of distant metastasis. Recent data have demonstrated promising outcomes in several bladder-preservation strategies.

RECENT FINDINGS

Bladder preservation with trimodality therapy (TMT), combining maximal transurethral resection of the bladder tumor, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy (RT), was often reserved for nonsurgical candidates for radical cystectomy. Recent meta-analyses show that outcomes of TMT and radical cystectomy are similar. More recent bladder-preservation approaches include combining targeted RT (MRI) and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), ICIs and chemotherapy, and selecting patients based on genomic biomarkers and clinical response to systemic therapies. These are all promising strategies that may circumvent the need for radical cystectomy.

SUMMARY

MIBC is an aggressive disease with a high rate of systemic progression. Current management includes neoadjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy and radical cystectomy with lymph node dissection. Novel alternative strategies, including TMT approaches, combinations with RT, chemotherapy, and/or ICIs, and genomic biomarkers, are in development to further advance bladder-preservation options for patients with MIBC.

Assessment of Tolerability, Response and Complications of Concurrent Chemoradiation With Capecitabine and Cisplatin in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer; A Single Arm Study

PURPOSE

To evaluate the feasibility, tolerance and efficacy of cisplatin+capecitabine as a proposed combination in concurrent chemoradiotherapy for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

METHODS

MIBC patients with stage T2-T4aN0M0 participated in this single-arm clinical trial. After maximal TURBT, 66Gy/33 daily fractions of radiation were administered with concurrent chemotherapy of cisplatin (35 mg/m²) and capecitabine (625 mg/m²). The primary endpoint was treatment tolerability, defined as receiving capecitabine+cisplatin combination for at least 5 weeks during radiation therapy. The secondary endpoints included complete response (CR) and acute toxicity rates.

RESULTS

This study included 19 MIBC patients from 2018 to 2019. Eighteen patients (94.7%, 95%CI: 75.4-99.0) completed the planned treatment course. Only one patient (5.26%, 95%CI: 0.9-24.6) discontinued the treatment due to grade-3 GI toxicity. Among those who completed the treatment, CR was seen in 12 patients (66.7%, 95% CI = 44.4-88.9) with no grade ≥ 3 toxicities. The most common grade-2 side effects during therapy were renal complications (57.9%), and the only grade-2 complication after therapy was urinary-related (11.1%). The median follow-up was 31 months and the median overall survival (OS) was 31 months. The 2-year OS was 78% (95% CI 58.4-97.6), Cystectomy-free survival was 61% (95% CI: 37.5-84.5), and the median OS after recurrence was 13 months. Distant metastases were the first type of recurrence in most patients with a recurrence, which occurred in 7 (36.8%) patients. Median metastasis-free survival (MFS) was 30 months, and 2-year MFS was 66% (95% CI:45-87).

CONCLUSION

The promising tolerability rate seen with concurrent cisplatin+capecitabine in this study was comparable to the available literature. Thus, this combination concurrently with radiation warrants further studies in the context of chemoradiotherapy of MIBC.

Prediction of Bladder Cancer Treatment Side Effects Using an Ontology-Based Reasoning for Enhanced Patient Health Safety

Predicting potential cancer treatment side effects at time of prescription could decrease potential health risks and achieve better patient satisfaction. This paper presents a new approach, founded on evidence-based medical knowledge, using as much information and proof as possible to help a computer program to predict bladder cancer treatment side effects and support the oncologist’s decision. This will help in deciding treatment options for patients with bladder malignancies. Bladder cancer knowledge is complex and requires simplification before any attempt to represent it in a formal or computerized manner. In this work we rely on the capabilities of OWL ontologies to seamlessly capture and conceptualize the required knowledge about this type of cancer and the underlying patient treatment process. Our ontology allows case-based reasoning to effectively predict treatment side effects for a given set of contextual information related to a specific medical case. The ontology is enriched with proofs and evidence collected from online biomedical research databases using “web crawlers”. We have exclusively designed the crawler algorithm to search for the required knowledge based on a set of specified keywords. Results from the study presented 80.3% of real reported bladder cancer treatment side-effects prediction and were close to really occurring adverse events recorded within the collected test samples when applying the approach. Evidence-based medicine combined with semantic knowledge-based models is prominent in generating predictions related to possible health concerns. The integration of a diversity of knowledge and evidence into one single integrated knowledge-base could dramatically enhance the process of predicting treatment risks and side effects applied to bladder cancer oncotherapy.

Contemporary and Emerging Approaches to Bladder-Preserving Trimodality Therapy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer

Bladder-preserving trimodality therapy (TMT), consisting of trans-urethral bladder tumor resection followed by concurrent chemoradiotherapy, is an established standard of care for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. For appropriately selected patients, TMT offers oncologic outcomes comparable to radical cystectomy while preserving the patient's native bladder. Optimal TMT outcomes require careful patient selection, which is currently based on clinical and pathologic factors. The role of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) in TMT is currently being investigated in several on-going clinical trials. In the future, molecular features associated with response to TMT or ICB may further improve patient selection and guide post-treatment surveillance.

Gemcitabine based trimodality treatment in patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer: May neutrophil lymphocyte and platelet lymphocyte ratios predict outcomes?

PURPOSE

Cisplatin based chemoradiation has been commonly used as a definitive treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). The aim of the current study is to evaluate oncologic results and toxicity profile of bladder-sparing treatment with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and gemcitabine chemotherapy (ChT) in patients with MIBC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Between April 2005 and November 2018 44 patients with nonmetastatic and N0 MIBC were treated with transurethral resection of bladder (TURB), EBRT and concurrent gemcitabine. All patients were staged using thorax-abdomen-pelvic CT and pelvic MRI. EBRT was delivered using 3D conformal technique or intensity modulated radiotherapy. Patients received 50 Gy in 25 to 28 fractions to full bladder followed by a boost dose of 10 Gy in 5 fractions to empty bladder with weekly concurrent gemcitabine of 50 mg/m². All patients were evaluated for age, gender, smoking status, neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet lymphocyte ratio (PLR) at diagnosis, presence of hydroureteronephrosis (HUN), preoperative tumor size, tumor multifocality, presence of CIS, clinical tumor stage. Acute/late genitourinary (GUS) and gastrointestinal (GIS) toxicity, recurrence status, cancer specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS) were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v21.0. Kaplan-Meier survival estimates were calculated to describe CSS and OS. The effect of different parameters on survival was investigated using the log rank test.

RESULTS

Median age of the patients was 72 years (interquartile [IQR]; 66-80). The median tumor size was 30 mm (IQR, 15-59 mm). Thirty-two (77%) patients had T2, 6 (14%) patients had T3, and 4 (9%) patients had T4a disease. Median NLR was 2.6 (IQR, 1.7-3.8) and median PLR was 126.47 (IQR, 77.4-184.8). Median follow-up time was 21 months (range, 6-153 months). At the first TURB performed 6 weeks after CRT, complete response, partial response, stable disease, and progression was detected in 37 (84%), 3 (7%), 1 (2%), and 3 (7%) patients, respectively. One- and 2-year OS, CSS, LRFS, and DMFS rates were 86% and 64%; 88% and 66%; 65% and 44%; 68% and 48%, respectively. In univariate analysis; prognostic factors were age and presence of HUN for OS and DMFS; age, HUN, presence of CIS, NLR, and PLR for DSS; HUN, NLR, and PLR for LRFS, respectively. In multivariate analysis, the independent predictor was the presence of HUN for OS, LRFS, and DMFS; NLR for DSS; PLR for LRFS and age for DMSF. For a subgroup of 17 patients with complete TURB and no CIS and HUN symptoms, 2-year OS, DSS, LRFS, and DMFS rates were 88%, 88%, 72%, and 79%, respectively. The treatment was well-tolerated and all patients completed the planned EBRT and ChT. No acute or late ≥ grade 3 toxicity was observed. Grade II acute GIS toxicity was detected in 3 (7%) patients and grade II acute GUS toxicity was detected in 9 (21%) patients, respectively. Grade II late GUS toxicity was observed in 2 (5%) patients.

CONCLUSION

Gemcitabine based trimodality treatment is well-tolerated with similar oncologic outcomes reported in the literature. Older age, presence of CIS and high NLR and PLR values seem to deteriorate DSS.

Executive Summary of the American Radium Society Appropriate Use Criteria for Radiation Treatment of Node-Negative Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

PURPOSE

Definitive radiation therapy (RT), with or without concurrent chemotherapy, is an alternative to radical cystectomy for patients with localized, muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) who are either not surgical candidates or prefer organ preservation. We aim to synthesize an evidence-based guideline regarding the appropriate use of RT.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

We performed a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses literature review using the PubMed and Embase databases. Based on the literature review, critical management topics were identified and reformulated into consensus questions. An expert panel was assembled to address key areas of both consensus and controversy using the modified Delphi framework.

RESULTS

A total of 761 articles were screened, of which 61 were published between 1975 and 2019 and included for full review. There were 7 well-designed studies, 20 good quality studies, 28 quality studies with design limitations, and 6 references not suited as primary evidence. Adjuvant radiation therapy after cystectomy was not included owing to lack of high-quality data or clinical use. An expert panel consisting of 14 radiation oncologists, 1 medical oncologist, and 1 urologist was assembled. We identified 4 clinical variants of MIBC: surgically fit patients who wish to pursue organ preservation, patients surgically unfit for cystectomy, patients medically unfit for cisplatin-based chemotherapy, and borderline cystectomy candidates based on age with unilateral hydronephrosis and normal renal function. We identified key areas of controversy, including use of definitive radiation therapy for patients with negative prognostic factors, appropriate radiation therapy dose, fractionation, fields and technique when used, and chemotherapy sequencing and choice of agent.

CONCLUSIONS

There is limited level-one evidence to guide appropriate treatment of MIBC. Studies vary significantly with regards to patient selection, chemotherapy use, and radiation therapy technique. A consensus guideline on the appropriateness of RT for MIBC may aid practicing oncologists in bridging the gap between data and clinical practice.

Incidence and outcome of salvage cystectomy after bladder sparing therapy for muscle invasive bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the available literature regarding the surgical and oncologic outcomes of patients undergoing salvage radical cystectomy (SV-RC) for recurrence or failure of bladder sparing therapy (BST) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

Methods

We searched MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE and Google Scholar databases in May 2020. We included all studies of patients with ≥ cT2N0/xM0 bladder cancer that were eligible for all treatment modalities at the time of treatment decision who underwent BST including radiotherapy (RTX). A meta-analysis was conducted to calculate the pooled rate of several variables associated with an increased need for SV-RC. Study quality and risk of bias were assessed using MINORS criteria.

Results

73 studies comprising 9110 patients were eligible for the meta-analysis. Weighted mean follow-up time was 61.1 months (range 12–144). The pooled rate of non-response to BST and local recurrence after BST, the two primary reasons for SV-RC, was 15.5% and 28.7%, respectively. The pooled rate of SV-RC was 19.2% for studies with a follow-up longer than 5 years. Only three studies provided a thorough report of complication rates after SV-RC. The overall complication rate ranged between 67 and 72% with a 30-day mortality rate of 0–8.8%. The pooled rates of 5 and 10-year disease-free survival after SV-RC were 54.3% and 45.6%, respectively.

Conclusion

Approximately one-fifth of patients treated with BST with a curative intent eventually require SV-RC. This procedure carries a proportionally high rate of complications and is usually accompanied by an incontinent urinary diversion.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s00345-020-03436-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Bladder preservation in muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a comprehensive review

Background

Standard management of muscle-invasive bladder cancer involves radical cystectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection. However, patients may be ineligible for surgery or may wish to avoid the morbidity of cystectomy due to quality of life concerns. Bladder preservation therapies have emerged as alternatives treatment options that can provide comparable oncologic outcomes while maintaining patients’ quality of life.

Objective

To review bladder preservation therapies, patient selection criteria, and functional and oncologic outcomes for BPT in muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Materials and Methods

We conducted a comprehensive literature review of bladder preservation therapies in Pubmed and Embase.

Discussion

The ideal patient for BPT has low-volume T2 disease, absence of CIS, absence of hydronephrosis, and a maximal TURBT with regular surveillance. Technological advancements involving cancer staging, TURBT technique, and chemotherapy and radiation therapy regimens have improved BPT outcomes, with oncologic outcomes now comparable to those of radical cystectomy. Advancements in BPT also includes a heightened focus on improving quality of life for patients undergoing bladder preservation. Preservation strategies with most evidence for use include trimodality therapy and partial cystectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection.

Conclusions

This review highlights the breadth of strategies that aim to preserve a patient’s bladder while still optimizing local tumor control and overall survival. Future areas for innovation include the use of predictive biomarkers and implementation of immunotherapy, moving the field towards patient-tailored care.

Bladder Preservation With Twice-a-Day Radiation Plus Fluorouracil/Cisplatin or Once Daily Radiation Plus Gemcitabine for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: NRG/RTOG 0712-A Randomized Phase II Trial

PURPOSE

Fluorouracil plus cisplatin and radiation twice a day (FCT) is an established chemoradiation (CRT) regimen for selective bladder-sparing treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Gemcitabine and once daily radiation (GD) is a well-supported alternative. The current trial evaluates these regimens.

METHODS

Patients with cT2-4a muscle-invasive bladder cancer were randomly assigned to FCT or GD. Patients underwent transurethral resection and induction CRT to 40 Gy. Patients who achieved a complete response (CR) received consolidation CRT to 64 Gy and others underwent cystectomy. We administered adjuvant gemcitabine/cisplatin chemotherapy. The primary end point was the rate of freedom from distant metastasis at 3 years (DMF3). The trial was not statistically powered to compare regimens, but to assess whether either regimen exceeded a DMF3 benchmark of 75%. Toxicity and efficacy end points, including CR and bladder-intact distant metastasis free survival at 3 years (BI-DMFS3), were assessed.

RESULTS

From December 2008 to April 2014, 70 patients were enrolled, of which 66 were eligible for analysis, 33 per arm. Median follow-up was 5.1 years (range, 0.4 to 7.8 years) for eligible living patients. DMF3 was 78% and 84% for FCT and GD, respectively. BI-DMFS3 was 67% and 72%, respectively. Postinduction CR rates were 88% and 78%, respectively. Of 33 patients in the FCT arm, 21 (64%) experienced treatment-related grade 3 and 4 toxicities during protocol treatment, with 18 (55%), two (6%), and two patients (6%) experiencing grade 3 and 4 hematologic, GI, and genitourinary toxicity, respectively. For the 33 patients in the GD arm, these figures were 18 (55%) overall and 14 (42%), three (9%) and two patients (6%), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Both regimens demonstrated DMF3 greater than 75%. There were fewer toxicities observed in the GD arm. Either gemcitabine and once daily radiation or a cisplatin-based regimen could serve as a base for future trials of systemic therapy.

Emerging biomarkers and targeted therapies in urothelial carcinoma

The use of immunotherapy has revolutionized the management of patients with locally advanced, unresectable, and metastatic urothelial carcinoma (UC); however, platinum-based chemotherapy remains a therapeutic cornerstone both in localized muscle-invasive and advanced UC. There is still no predictive molecular biomarker with clinical utility to help guide treatment and select patients most likely to derive benefit from a particular therapeutic modality or regimen. However, recent research has further characterized the inherent biology and immunology landscapes of UC leading to the development of potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets that could be used upon further validation. Emerging interrogation of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and other molecular profiling datasets has led to the identification of distinct molecular subtypes with diverse clinical behaviors with potential sensitivity to various therapies. It has also led to the discovery of multiple frequently altered genes and proteins that could lead to perturbation of intracellular signaling pathways and of the dynamic interactions between tumor cells, their "microenvironment", and the host "macro-environment". The advent of molecular profiling and deeper next-generation sequencing has the potential to change biomarker and "real time" drug sensitivity assessment, introducing and testing the premise of "precision oncology" and personalized medicine. Within this review, we summarize emerging biomarkers that may predict response to cisplatin-based chemotherapy, immunotherapy, emerging targeted therapies, and promising combination strategies. We also highlight a few examples of 'precision medicine' trials aiming to improve outcomes in UC. Since our review is not exhaustive we strongly recommend the readers to follow the continuously changing literature in the very interesting and dynamic field of UC.

Regression of experimental NIS-expressing breast cancer brain metastases in response to radioiodide/gemcitabine dual therapy

Treating breast cancer brain metastases (BCBMs) is challenging. Na⁺/I⁻ symporter (NIS) expression in BCBMs would permit their selective targeting with radioiodide (¹³¹I⁻). We show impressive enhancement of tumor response by combining¹³¹I⁻ with gemcitabine (GEM), a cytotoxic radiosensitizer. Nude mice mammary fat-pad (MFP) tumors and BCBMs were generated with braintropic MDA-MB-231Br cells transduced with bicistronically-linked NIS and firefly luciferase cDNAs. Response was monitored in vivo via bioluminescent imaging and NIS tumor expression.¹³¹I⁻/GEM therapy inhibited MFP tumor growth more effectively than either agent alone. BCBMs were treated with: high or low-dose GEM (58 or 14.5 mg/Kg×4); ¹³¹I⁻ (1mCi or 2×0.5 mCi 7 days apart); and ¹³¹I⁻/GEM therapy. By post-injection day (PID) 25, 82-86% of controls and 78-83% of ¹³¹I⁻-treated BCBM grew, whereas 17% low-dose and 36% high-dose GEM regressed. The latter tumors were smaller than the controls with comparable NIS expression (~20% of cells). High and low-dose ¹³¹I⁻/GEM combinations caused 89% and 57% tumor regression, respectively. High-dose GEM/¹³¹I⁻ delayed tumor growth: tumors increased 5-fold in size by PID45 (controls by PID18). Although fewer than 25% of cells expressed NIS, GEM/¹³¹I⁻ caused dramatic tumor regression in NIS-transduced BCBMs. This effect was synergistic, and supports the hypothesis that GEM radiosensitizes cells to ¹³¹I⁻.

Incidental Dose to Pelvic Nodes in Bladder-Only Radiotherapy: Is It Clinically Relevant?

Background and Purpose:

Although there is a strong biological rationale to electively treat the pelvic nodes during bladder preservation, its clinical benefit is uncertain. This may be explained by the incidental dose received by the nodal regions when treating the bladder alone. This study was conducted to investigate the doses received by the different pelvic nodal regions when the bladder alone is treated by standard conformal radiotherapy.

Methods and Materials:

The computed tomography data sets of 20 patients with node-negative muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated in a bladder preservation protocol were studied. Patients were originally treated with conformal radiotherapy to the bladder alone. Replanning was done with additional delineation of the pelvic nodal regions namely common iliac (upper and lower), presacral, internal iliac, obturator, and external iliac. Dose volume parameters such as Dmean, Dmax, D100%, D66%, D33%, V40, and V50 to each of the nodal regions were estimated for all patients.

Results:

The obturator nodes received the highest dose among all nodal regions. The mean dose received by obturator, external iliac, and internal iliac regions was 59, 45, and 36 Gy, respectively. The dose received by these 3 regions in the full bladder state was 63, 52, and 47 Gy, respectively. The dose received by all other pelvic nodal regions was low and not clinically relevant.

Conclusion:

The incidental dose received by obturator and external iliac nodes is clinically significant in bladder-only radiation, possibly enough to influence micrometastatic disease. This may be a reason for the lack of clear benefit seen with nodal irradiation in bladder cancer.

Advances in Knowledge:

This study highlights that the incidental dose received by obturator and external iliac nodes is clinically significant in bladder-only radiation. The obturator nodes received the highest dose among all nodal regions with mean dose of 59 Gy.

Tolerability of Concurrent Chemoradiation Therapy With Gemcitabine (GemX), With and Without Prior Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, in Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to assess the tolerability of concurrent chemoradiation therapy with gemcitabine (GemX) in muscle invasive bladder cancer following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (neoGemX) by use of patient- and provider-reported outcomes.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Seventy-eight patients were treated with GemX. Thirty-eight received prior neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). Patients were prospectively assessed during treatment and at 6 weeks and 12 months after treatment completion. Radiation therapy was given to a total dose of 52.5 Gy in 20 fractions with weekly concurrent gemcitabine chemotherapy, 100 mg/m². Toxicity was assessed by the care provider and by a patient-reported outcome questionnaire collecting scores on the late effects in normal tissues-subjective, objective, management, and analytic scales and was statistically compared at baseline and 12 months, as well as between the neoGemX and GemX groups.

RESULTS

The median duration of follow-up was 15.9 months. The radiation therapy completion rate was 95%, and 96% of patients completed at least 3 cycles of gemcitabine. Bowel toxicity of grade 3 or greater was reported in 7 of 38 patients (18%) in the neoGemX group and 5 of 25 (20%) in the GemX group. Three GemX and two neoGemX patients had grade 3 or greater urinary toxicity. Forty-nine patients completed questionnaires and were included in the analysis. Scores on the late effects in normal tissues-subjective, objective, management, and analytic scales showed an expected peak by week 4 of treatment. There was no statistically significant difference between mean scores at baseline and 12 months after treatment completion or between the neoGemX and GemX groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that GemX, alone or following NAC, has manageable toxicity and acceptable treatment completion rates. Allowing for small patient numbers and the nonrandomized nature of this study, these results do not suggest any additional toxicity from the use of NAC prior to GemX.

Concurrent gemcitabine and radiotherapy for the treatment of muscle-invasive bladder cancer: A pooled individual data analysis of eight phase I-II trials

PURPOSE

Although radical cystectomy is still considered the standard of care for most localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients, bladder-sparing strategies with chemoradiotherapy have demonstrated comparable local control and survival rates when adjusting for tumor stage. We present a pooled analysis of individual patient data out of published trials with gemcitabine-based chemoradiotherapy for MIBC.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Individual patient data were collected from Institutions that enrolled patients into trials that evaluated gemcitabine-based chemoradiotherapy for MIBC.

RESULTS

We identified eight studies published on gemcitabine-based radiochemotherapy and 190 patients were included in this analysis. A complete response (CR) was observed in 166 patients (93%). After a median follow up of 44.5months, 36 patients (18.9%) presented a bladder recurrence and 14 subsequently underwent cystectomy. The 5-year overall survival (OS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and cystectomy-free survival (CFS) rates were 59%, 80.9%, and 93.3%, respectively. The achievement of CR after chemoradiotherapy was the main prognostic variable which was associated with improved OS, DSS, and CFS. The treatment was well tolerated.

CONCLUSION

This pooled analysis strengthens the evidence that chemoradiotherapy regimens with concurrent gemcitabine are feasible and well tolerated. Prospective randomized controlled trials are on-going to definitively assess the efficacy of gemcitabine-based chemoradiotherapy for MIBC.

Gemcitabine Plus Radiation Therapy for High-Grade Glioma: Long-Term Results of a Phase 1 Dose-Escalation Study

PURPOSE

To evaluate the tolerability and efficacy of gemcitabine plus radiation therapy (RT) in this phase 1 study of patients with newly diagnosed malignant glioma (HGG).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Between 2004 and 2012, 29 adults with HGG were enrolled. After any extent of resection, RT (60 Gy over 6 weeks) was given concurrent with escalating doses of weekly gemcitabine. Using a time-to-event continual reassessment method, 5 dose levels were evaluated starting at 500 mg/m(2) during the last 2 weeks of RT and advanced stepwise into earlier weeks. The primary objective was to determine the recommended phase 2 dose of gemcitabine plus RT. Secondary objectives included progression-free survival, overall survival (OS), and long-term toxicity.

RESULTS

Median follow-up was 38.1 months (range, 8.9-117.5 months); 24 patients were evaluable for toxicity. After 2005 when standard practice changed, patients with World Health Organization grade 4 tumors were no longer enrolled. Median progression-free survival for 22 patients with grade 3 tumors was 26.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 15.6-inestimable), and OS was 48.5 months (95% CI 26.8-inestimable). In 4 IDH mutated, 1p/19q codeleted patients, no failures occurred, with all but 1 alive at time of last follow-up. Seven with IDH mutated, non-codeleted tumors with ATRX loss had intermediate OS of 73.5 months (95% CI 32.8-inestimable). Six nonmutated, non-codeleted patients had a median OS of 26.5 months (95% CI 25.4-inestimable). The recommended phase 2 dose of gemcitabine plus RT was 750 mg/m(2)/wk given the last 4 weeks of RT. Dose reductions were most commonly due to grade 3 neutropenia; no grade 4 or 5 toxicities were seen.

CONCLUSIONS

Gemcitabine concurrent with RT is well-tolerated and yields promising outcomes, including in patients with adverse molecular features. It is a candidate for further study, particularly for poor-prognosis patient subgroups with HGG.

Trimodality therapy in bladder cancer: who, what, and when?

Radical cystectomy is a standard treatment of nonmetastatic, muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Treatment with trimodality therapy consisting of maximal transurethral resection of the bladder tumor followed by concurrent chemotherapy and radiation has emerged as a method to preserve the native bladder in highly motivated patients. Several factors can affect the likelihood of long-term bladder preservation after trimodality therapy and therefore should be taken into account when selecting patients. New radiation techniques such as intensity modulated radiation therapy and image-guided radiation therapy may decrease the toxicity of radiotherapy in this setting. Novel chemotherapy regimens may improve response rates and minimize toxicity.

[Concomitant chemoradiotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: current knowledge, controversies and future directions]

Radical cystectomy with lymphadenectomy is currently the standard of care for muscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer; however and because of its morbidity and its impact on quality of life, there is a growing tendency for bladder-sparing strategies. Initially reserved for elderly or unfit patients unable to undergo radical cystectomy, chemoradiotherapy became a true alternative to surgery for highly selected patients. Although there are no randomized trials comparing radical cystectomy with bladder preserving approaches, surgery remains the preferred treatment for many clinicians. Furthermore, comparison is even more difficult as modalities of radiotherapy are not consensual and differ between centers with a variability of protocols, volume of irradiation and type of chemotherapy. Several ongoing trials are attempting to optimize chemoradiotherapy and limit its toxicity, especially through techniques of adaptive radiotherapy or targeted therapies.

Combined chemoradiotherapy with gemcitabine in patients with locally advanced inoperable transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder and/or in patients ineligible for surgery: a phase I trial

BACKGROUND

We conducted a phase I trial of gemcitabine (gem) with concurrent radiotherapy in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (BC) ineligible for surgery or cisplatin or refusing organ loss.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Patients with urothelial cancer, cT2-T4, cN0-1, M0, ineligible for surgery due to local tumor extension, PS, age or co-morbidities or who refused surgery were included. After maximal transurethral resection, the treatment schedule included: twice-weekly i.v. infusion of gem [dose levels (DL) 1-6: 20, 27, 30, 33, 50 and 40 mg/m(2), respectively] for 30 min and concurrent radiotherapy (RT) to the bladder with 55.5 Gy. The primary end point was to determine the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) and the dose recommended (RD) for further studies of this gem schedule. The secondary end point was late toxicity. The MTD was defined by dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) in 2 or more of 6 patients, discontinuation of RT and/or gem for >1 week in 2 or more of 6 patients due to grade (G) 3/4 acute and/or late toxicity in more than 2 of 18 patients.

RESULTS

Thirty-five of 44 patients were assessable for toxicity and thus the primary end point. DLTs occurred in two of five patients at dose level 5: one G3 alanine aminotransferase elevation and one G3 fatigue. The MTD, therefore, was 50 mg/m(2) gem twice weekly. At DL 6 with 40 mg/m(2), the RD was established: only one of six patients developed G3 fatigue and diarrhea. Late toxicity was rare and of low grade (only G1-2). The 2-year locoregional failure rate was 32% (9/28); 10 of 28 patients (38%) were alive with an intact bladder and no evidence of recurrent disease, 9 patients developed distant metastases and 6 died of their disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Gemcitabine in combination with RT is well tolerated in BC patients ineligible for surgery and/or cisplatin. The RD of gemcitabine for subsequent trials is 40 mg/m(2) twice weekly with concurrent radiation.

Expression of ribonucleoside reductase subunit M1, but not excision repair cross-complementation group 1, is predictive in muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with chemotherapy and radiation

The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic and predictive values of ribonucleoside reductase subunit M1 (RRM1) and excision repair cross-complementation group 1 (ERCC1) expression in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with chemoradiotherapy. The expression of RRM1 and ERCC1 in pretreatment tumor samples of retrospectively identified patients was determined by immunohistochemical analysis. A total of 39 patients were included in this study; 49% were treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy and 67% with concomitant chemoradiotherapy; 56% were treated with gemcitabine-based and 51% with platinum-based chemoradiotherapy. The median follow-up was 19 months (interquartile range, 11-50 months). Based on the immunohistochemical analysis, 44 and 32% of the tumors exhibited increased expression of RRM1 and ERCC1, respectively. The complete response (CR) and local recurrence rates following chemoradiotherapy were 79 and 21%, respectively. A low expression of RRM1 was associated with a higher rate of CR to chemoradiotherapy (95 vs. 57%, P=0.012); however, there was no such association with low ERCC1 expression (67 vs. 84%, P=0.39). RRM1 expression predicted an improved CR in patients treated with gemcitabine-based chemoradiotherapy (57 vs. 100%, P=0.036), but not in those treated with other agents (56 vs. 88%, P=0.29). ERCC1 expression was not found to be correlated with CR (67 vs. 84%, P=0.39), even when restricted to patients treated with platinum agents (71 vs. 75%, P=1.0). In the univariate analysis, RRM1 expression, but not ERCC1 expression, was identified as a prognostic marker for worse cancer-specific survival in all the patients and in those treated with gemcitabine-based regimens. No independent prognostic factor was identified in the multivariate model, which included tumor stage, vascular invasion, hydronephrosis and RRM1 status. Although these findings require further validation, they suggest that RRM1 may be a beneficial stratification variable for the selection of chemotherapy regimens for chemoradiotherapy, with patients with low RRM1 expression being considered suitable for gemcitabine treatment.

Trimodality treatment in the conservative management of infiltrating bladder cancer: a critical review of the literature

Although radical cystectomy is still the treatment of choice for patients with infiltrating bladder cancer, there is growing evidence of the effectiveness of a conservative approach. Developed as a treatment of need for elderly or unfit patients unable to undergo radical cystectomy, conservative therapy is becoming a true alternative to surgery for highly selected patients. Although transurethral bladder resection, external radiotherapy and systemic chemotherapy can control the disease as single treatments, the best results have been observed when they are combined. Moreover, new irradiation techniques and new-generation drugs are now being tested in an attempt to improve disease control further. Conservative management requires the multidisciplinary involvement of different specialties in order to give patients a real alternative to surgical treatment.

Selective bladder preservation with curative intent for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a contemporary review

Radical cystectomy plus urinary diversion, the reference standard treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, associates with high complication rates and compromises quality of life as a result of long-term effects on urinary, gastrointestinal and sexual function, and changes in body image. As a society ages, the number of elderly patients unfit for radical cystectomy as a result of comorbidity will increase, and thus the demand for bladder-sparing approaches for muscle-invasive bladder cancer will also inevitably increase. Trimodality bladder-sparing approaches consisting of transurethral resection, chemotherapy and radiotherapy (Σ 55-65 Gy) yield overall survival rates comparable with those of radical cystectomy series (50-70% at 5 years), while preserving the native bladder in 40-60% of muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients, contributing to an improvement in quality of life for such patients. Limitations of the trimodality therapy include (i) muscle-invasive bladder cancer recurrence in the preserved bladder, which most often arises in the original muscle-invasive bladder cancer site; (ii) potential lack of curative intervention for regional lymph nodes; and (iii) increased morbidity in the event of salvage radical cystectomy for remaining or recurrent disease as a result of high-dose pelvic irradiation. Consolidative partial cystectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection followed by induction chemoradiotherapy at lower dose (e.g. 40 Gy) is a rational strategy for overcoming such limitations by strengthening locoregional control and reducing radiation dosage. Molecular profiling of the tumor and functional imaging might play important roles in optimal patient selection for bladder preservation. Refinement of radiation techniques, intensified concurrent or adjuvant chemotherapy, and novel sensitizers, including molecular targeting agent, are also expected to improve outcomes and consequently provide more muscle-invasive bladder cancer patients with favorable quality of life.

Management of invasive bladder cancer in patients who are not candidates for or decline cystectomy

Bladder cancer is a common malignancy seen in older adults with coexisting medical illnesses. The management of patients with muscle invasive disease includes perioperative chemotherapy and radical cystectomy; however, patients may decline surgery and older patients with comorbid conditions may not be candidates for surgery and thus alternative treatment strategies are needed. Trimodality bladder preservation protocols for muscle invasive bladder cancer have generally included only those patients who are candidates for a salvage cystectomy. In this review, we discuss the current status of bladder preservation treatment options for patients with muscle-invasive disease who are not candidates for cystectomy or who decline surgery and highlight the need for clinical trials investigating novel treatment approaches in this older patient population.

Update on chemotherapy in the treatment of urothelial carcinoma

Urothelial carcinoma is the fifth most common malignancy diagnosed each year in the United States. Neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy are given to decrease the risk of recurrent or metastatic disease with the more robust clinical data supporting the former. Bladder preservation utilizes a trimodality approach with maximal transurethral resection followed by concurrent chemotherapy and radiation and is appropriate for select patients. Gemcitabine and cisplatin is the current standard of care for first-line treatment in fit patients with metastatic disease. Optimal second-line therapy remains undefined, and targeted agents are under investigation. Clinical trial participation should be encouraged in patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder to help improve treatment regimens and outcomes. Synopsis. Chemotherapy is commonly used in the treatment of urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. This paper will review the role of chemotherapy in the neoadjuvant, adjuvant, bladder sparing, and metastatic settings.

Whole-pelvis or bladder-only chemoradiation for lymph node-negative invasive bladder cancer: single-institution experience

PURPOSE

Whole-pelvis (WP) concurrent chemoradiation (CCRT) is the standard bladder preserving option for patients with invasive bladder cancer. The standard practice is to treat elective pelvic lymph nodes, so our aim was to evaluate whether bladder-only (BO) CCRT leads to results similar to those obtained by standard WP-CCRT.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Patient eligibility included histopathologically proven muscle-invasive bladder cancer, lymph nodes negative (T2-T4, N-) by radiology, and maximal transurethral resection of bladder tumor with normal hematologic, renal, and liver functions. Between March 2005 and May 2006, 230 patients were accrued. Patients were randomly assigned to WP-CCRT (120 patients) and BO-CCRT (110 patients). Data regarding the toxicity profile, compliance, initial complete response rates at 3 months, and occurrence of locoregional or distant failure were recorded.

RESULTS

With a median follow-up time of 5 years (range, 3-6), WP-CCRT was associated with a 5-year disease-free survival of 47.1% compared with 46.9% in patients treated with BO-CCRT (p = 0.5). The bladder preservation rates were 58.9% and 57.1% in WP-CCRT and BO-CCRT, respectively (p = 0.8), and the 5-year overall survival rates were 52.9% for WP-CCRT and 51% for BO-CCRT (p = 0.8).

CONCLUSION

BO-CCRT showed similar rates of bladder preservation, disease-free survival, and overall survival rates as those of WP-CCRT. Smaller field sizes including bladder with 2-cm margins can be used as bladder preservation protocol for patients with muscle-invasive lymph node-negative bladder cancer to minimize the side effects of CCRT.

Phase I study of radiochemotherapy with gemcitabine in invasive bladder cancer

Tolerability to gemcitabine radiochemotherapy was evaluated in 33 patients with inoperable, locally advanced transitional-cell bladder cancers. The dose of 75 mg/m(2) gemcitabine once a week, concurrently with standard radiotherapy of 60 Gy/6 weeks, was found to be acceptable. Eighty-one percentage of 3-year local progression-free survival suggests efficiency warranting further studies.

Gemcitabine-mediated radiosensitization of human soft tissue sarcoma

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Local and systemic control of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) remains a clinical challenge, particularly for retroperitoneal, deep truncal, or advanced extremity disease. 2',2'-Difluoro-2'-deoxycytidine (gemcitabine) is a potent radiosensitizer in many tumor types, but it has not been studied in human STS. The purpose of this study was to determine the radiosensitizing potential of gemcitabine in preclinical models of human STS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The in vitro radiosensitizing activity of gemcitabine was assessed with clonogenic survival assay on three human STS cell lines: SK-LMS-1 (leiomyosarcoma), SW-872 (liposarcoma), and HT-1080 (fibrosarcoma). Cell cycle distribution was determined using dual-channel flow cytometry. The in vivo radiosensitizing activity of gemcitabine was assessed with subcutaneous SK-LMS-1 nude mice xenografts. Tumor-bearing mice were treated with concurrent weekly gemcitabine and fractionated daily radiotherapy (RT) (2 Gy daily) for 3 weeks (a total dose of 30 Gy).

RESULTS

The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) of gemcitabine for the human STS cell lines ranged from 10 to 1000 nM. Significant in vitro radiosensitization was demonstrated in all three human STS cell lines using gemcitabine concentrations at and below the IC(50). Maximal radiosensitization was associated with accumulation of cells in early S-phase. SK-LMS-1 xenografts displayed significant tumor growth delay with combined gemcitabine and RT compared to either treatment alone. Treatment related toxicity was greatest in the gemcitabine plus RT arm, but remained at an acceptable level.

CONCLUSIONS

Gemcitabine is a potent radiosensitizer in preclinical models of human STS. Clinical trials combining gemcitabine and RT in human STS are warranted.

Intensity modulated radiotherapy for elderly bladder cancer patients

BACKGROUND

To review our experience and evaluate treatment planning using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and helical tomotherapy (HT) for the treatment of elderly patients with bladder cancer.

METHODS

From November 2006 through November 2009, we enrolled 19 elderly patients with histologically confirmed bladder cancer, 9 in the IMRT and 10 in the HT group. The patients received 64.8 Gy to the bladder with or without concurrent chemotherapy. Conventional 4-field "box" pelvic radiation therapy (2DRT) plans were generated for comparison.

RESULTS

The median patient age was 80 years old (range, 65-90 years old). The median survival was 21 months (5 to 26 months). The actuarial 2-year overall survival (OS) for the IMRT vs. the HT group was 26.3% vs .37.5%, respectively; the corresponding values for disease-free survival were 58.3% vs. 83.3%, respectively; for locoregional progression-free survival (LRPFS), the values were 87.5% vs. 83.3%, respectively; and for metastases-free survival, the values were 66.7% vs. 60.0%, respectively. The 2-year OS rates for T1, 2 vs. T3, 4 were 66.7% vs. 35.4%, respectively (p = 0.046). The 2-year OS rate was poor for those whose RT completion time greater than 8 weeks when compared with the RT completed within 8 wks (37.9% vs. 0%, p = 0.004).

CONCLUSION

IMRT and HT provide good LRPFS with tolerable toxicity for elderly patients with invasive bladder cancer. IMRT and HT dosimetry and organ sparing capability were superior to that of 2DRT, and HT provides better sparing ability than IMRT. The T category and the RT completion time influence OS rate.

Conservative treatment of invasive bladder cancer

The concept of organ-preserving therapies is a trend in modern oncology, and several tumour types are now treated in this fashion. Trimodality therapy consisting of as thorough a transurethral resection of the bladder tumour as is judged safe, followed by concomitant chemoradiation therapy, is emerging as an attractive alternative for bladder preservation in selected patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Long-term data from multiple institutional and cooperative group studies have shown that this approach is safe and effective and that it provides patients with the opportunity to maintain an intact and functional bladder with a survival rate similar to that for modern radical cystectomy.

Therapeutic interventions targeting organ preservation in muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a review

Nowadays in modern oncology there is a tendency towards therapies that target organ preservation. Organ preservation protocols have become standard in the treatment of laryngeal carcinoma, oesophageal cancer, breast carcinoma and soft tissue sarcomas. The three-combined therapy consisting of a transurethral resection of the bladder tumour followed by concomitant chemoradiotherapy has been shown to be an attractive alternative for bladder preservation in selected patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. In order to evaluate the organ preservation approaches in muscle-invasive bladder cancer we have conducted a comprehensive literature review. Data reported from the studies have shown that bladder preservation therapy with a trimodality approach is safe and effective. Moreover, such an approach provides patients with the opportunity to maintain an intact and functional bladder with a survival rate similar to that of radical cystectomy.

Trimodality treatment for bladder cancer: does modern radiotherapy improve the end results?

With the advancement in endoscopic surgery, radiation treatment planning and execution, as well as the use of new chemotherapeutic regimens, bladder conservation has evolved into a competing alternative to radical cystectomy. Trimodality treatment has the great advantage of preserving a normally functioning urinary bladder. Despite the absence of direct randomized trials comparing both modalities, trimodality treatment comprising maximal transuretheral resection of bladder tumors followed by different regimens of combined radiochemotherapy achieved comparable results to radical cystectomy in many trials. Those who did not achieve complete remission after induction radiochemotherapy were salvaged by radical cystectomy. Improving the radiotherapeutic window is a challenging issue. In radiotherapy for bladder cancer, uncertainties include set-up errors, patient movement, internal organ movement and volume changes due to bladder filling (both inter- and intrafraction). The advancement in treatment verification procedures in modern radiotherapy and the use of fiducial markers reduces set-up errors, while adaptive radiotherapy could decrease the unnecessary irradiation of normal tissues by tracking bladder volume changes. In addition, new radiotherapeutic techniques, such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy and volume-modulated radiotherapy, permit dose escalation to the target without increasing the dose to the surrounding normal tissues.

[Bladder preservation using chemoradiation therapy for locally invasive bladder cancer]

PURPOSE

We investigated the long-term results and molecular markers of outcome with selective organ preservation in invasive bladder cancer using chemoradiation therapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We examined locally invasive bladder cancer in 32 patients (30 men, 2 women; mean age at treatment 68.1 years) who underwent bladder-sparing protocols in the Department of Urology at Sumitomo Hospital between 2000 and 2005. The clinical stage was T2, T3, and T4 in 13, 16, and 3 patients, respectively. Our protocol includes aggressive transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT) and 46 Gy radiotherapy (2 Gy/fraction, 5 fractions/week) to the pelvis with concurrent cisplatin chemotherapy (20 mg/body/day, 5 days/week, the first and fourth week, intravenously). The initial evaluation included magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), urine cytology, and cystoscopy with a biopsy. During follow-up, if the patients developed superficial recurrence, they was treated with TURBT and intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), while patients with invasive recurrence were advised to undergo a salvage cystectomy. We examined the association between the expression of the Bcl-2 family in pretreatment TUR specimens and patient outcome. The mean follow-up was 54.6 months.

RESULTS

The first assessment after the induction chemoradiotherapy showed that bladder preservation was achieved in 27 patients (84.4%). The actuarial local control rate with an intact bladder was 56.3% (18 patients) at 3 years. The 1-, 3-, and 5-year cancer-specific survival rate was 90.6, 84.0, and 66.9%, respectively. The 5-year cancer-specific survival rate was 75.0, 67.2, and 33.3% in T2, T3, and T4, respectively. Bcl-x positivity was significantly associated with a poor cancer-specific survival rate (log-rank test, p = 0.038).

CONCLUSIONS

Chemoradiation therapy for invasive bladder cancer can achieve survival rates similar to those in patients treated with radical cystectomy, with successful bladder preservation. Our results suggest that the expression of Bcl-x is a potential prognostic marker for chemoradiation therapy in invasive bladder cancer.

Organ-sparing strategies in the management of invasive bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is the second most common genitourinary malignancy. Radical cystectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy is the standard of care in the management of muscle-invasive bladder cancer. However, recently, bladder-preservation trials conducted by both single- and multi-institutional groups have gained momentum because of comparable survival and recurrence rates in select patients. While single-modality therapies have failed to provide adequate results, multimodal combination therapies consisting of a thorough transurethral resection with radiotherapy and concomitant chemotherapy have been promising. Careful patient selection, maximum transurethral resection of bladder tumor, cystoscopic evaluation of response with prompt salvage cystectomy for nonresponders and strict long-term follow-up for complete responders constitute the hallmarks of optimal bladder-preservation protocols. Advances in molecular-targeted therapy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy hold promise to improve survival and local control and decrease side effects and toxicity.

Quality of life in elderly bladder cancer patients following cystectomy and urinary diversion

This review aims to provide information about quality of life in elderly patients who have undergone radical cystectomy and bladder replacement for muscle-invasive bladder cancer, focusing on the best instruments for evaluation. Among patients over 75 years of age, bladder cancer is the fifth leading cause of death. Radical cystectomy is the standard treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer and it is also considered safe in the elderly population. Quality of life is an essential aspect following radical cystectomy and bladder replacement owing to its impact on patients’ satisfaction with body image and urinary, sexual and social functioning. Furthermore, the authors suggest that there are no significant differences between different methods of urinary diversion in the elderly.

The role of amifostine on late normal tissue damage induced by pelvic radiotherapy with concomitant gemcitabine: an in vivo study

In this in vivo study, we aimed to assess the radioprotective effect of amifostine on late normal tissue damage induced by gemcitabine concomitant with pelvic radiotherapy by histopathological and quantitative methods. Fifty-six male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into seven experimental groups as follows: (I) gemcitabine, (II) radiation + gemcitabine, (III) radiation + gemcitabine + amifostine, (IV) radiation + amifostine, (V) sham radiation, (VI) amifostine, (VII) radiation. Irradiation was given to pelvic region with a dose of 25 Gy in 5 fractions. Amifostine was given for 30 min; gemcitabine was administered 24 h before the first fraction of radiotherapy. All animals were killed at the end of 4th month. Pathological examination was performed and the tissue collagen content was measured in bladder and rectal tissues. Fifty-one animals that were alive at the end of the follow-up period were analyzed. Thirty-five animals (68.6%) revealed grades I-III late effect in histopathological examination. We observed grade III colitis in 1 animal (radiation + gemcitabine) and bladder fibrosis in 4 animals (radiation and radiation + gemcitabine groups). There was no significant difference between any groups for bladder cystitis and fibrosis by Kruskal-Wallis method. Colitis was seen significantly lower in the radiation + gemcitabine + amifostine group (P = 0.0005). The collagen contents in the bladder and rectum of radiation and radiation + gemcitabine groups were markedly increased as compared to the sham group. This effect was reversed in the groups which received amifostine in addition to radiation and radiation + gemcitabine groups, but this difference was not significant. This study demonstrated that amifostine may have a beneficial effect in limiting rectal colitis from the radiosensitizing effect of gemcitabine.

Combined-modality therapy with gemcitabine and radiation therapy as a bladder preservation strategy: long-term results of a phase I trial

PURPOSE

A Phase I trial of twice-weekly gemcitabine and concurrent radiation therapy (RT) was performed in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. We present the final analysis of bladder-intact survival (BIS), disease-specific survival (DSS), and overall survival (OS).

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Eligible patients had muscle-invasive transitional cell carcinoma (cT2-3) and were candidates for cystectomy. Patients underwent maximal transurethral resection of bladder tumor followed by twice-weekly gemcitabine with concurrent RT to the bladder (total of 60 Gy over 6 weeks). Gemcitabine doses ranged from 10 to 33 mg/m(2).

RESULTS

Median follow-up was 5.6 years (range, 0.6-9.5 years). Twenty-three of 24 patients were evaluable for response. All patients were clinical stage T2. Locoregional failure occurred in seven patients (30%), which were successfully salvaged by radical cystectomy (n = 5) or intravesical therapy (n = 2). Four local failures occurred > 5 years after therapy. Most local failures were noninvasive tumors (Ta or Tis, n = 6). Ten patients (43%) experienced optimal outcome (no failures and bladder intact). The 5-year actuarial estimates of survival are BIS 62%, OS 76%, and DSS 82%.

CONCLUSION

Twice-weekly gemcitabine with concurrent RT is well tolerated and provides rates of survival and bladder preservation that are comparable to the existing literature. All locoregional failures were successfully salvaged by either radical cystectomy or intravesical therapy. Given the high proportion of late local failures, we recommend long-term monitoring when using this regimen. Future studies comparing the safety and efficacy of gemcitabine- vs. platinum-based bladder preservation protocols are pending.

Radiochemotherapy with cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil after transurethral surgery in patients with bladder cancer

PURPOSE

To give an update on the long-term outcome of an intensified protocol of combined radiochemotherapy (RCT) with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and cisplatin after initial transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) with selective organ preservation in bladder cancer.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

One hundred twelve patients with muscle-invading or high-risk T1 (G3, associated Tis, multifocality, diameter >5 cm) bladder cancer were enrolled in a protocol of TURBT followed by concurrent cisplatin (20 mg/m(2)/day as 30-min infusion) and 5-FU (600 mg/m(2)/day as 120-h continuous infusion), administered on Days 1-5 and 29-33 of radiotherapy. Response to treatment was evaluated by restaging TURBT 4-6 weeks after RCT. In case of invasive residual tumor or recurrence, salvage cystectomy was recommended.

RESULTS

Ninety-nine patients (88.4%) had no detectable tumor at restaging TURBT; 71 patients (72%) have been continuously free from local recurrence or distant metastasis. Superficial relapse occurred in 13 patients and muscle-invasive recurrence in 11 patients. Overall and cause-specific survival rates for all patients were 74% and 82% at 5 years, respectively. Of all surviving patients, 82% maintained their own bladder, 79% of whom were delighted or pleased with their urinary condition. Hematologic Grade 3/4 toxicity occurred in 23%/6% and Grade 3 diarrhea in 21% of patients. One patient required salvage cystectomy due to a shrinking bladder.

CONCLUSION

Concurrent RCT with 5-FU/cisplatin has been associated with acceptable acute and long-term toxicity. Overall and cause-specific survival rates are encouraging. More than 80% of patients preserved their well-functioning bladder.