Transurethral resection and partial cystectomy for invasive bladder cancer

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Oncology
• Surgical Oncology

Background:

• Bladder-preserving treatments for invasive bladder cancer are gaining traction.
• Surgical-only approaches, including transurethral resection (TUR) and partial cystectomy, are distinct among these options.
• Most bladder-preserving strategies combine radiation and chemotherapy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of surgical-only bladder-preserving modalities for invasive bladder cancer.
• To compare outcomes of TUR and partial cystectomy with radical cystectomy.
• To address the lack of standardized selection criteria for these surgical approaches.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on transurethral resection (TUR) and partial cystectomy for invasive bladder cancer.
• Analysis of patient series to assess long-term bladder preservation and overall survival.
• Comparison of outcomes with data from radical cystectomy series.

Main Results:

• Transurethral resection (TUR) and partial cystectomy are incompletely evaluated due to small patient series and varied selection criteria.
• Outcomes regarding long-term bladder preservation and overall survival are comparable to radical cystectomy.
• Positive patient selection may contribute to the favorable outcomes observed in surgical-only bladder preservation series.

Conclusions:

• Surgical-only approaches like transurethral resection (TUR) and partial cystectomy represent viable bladder-preserving options for select patients with invasive bladder cancer.
• Further standardization of selection criteria is needed to optimize outcomes.
• These surgical techniques may offer comparable survival benefits to radical cystectomy when applied appropriately.