[Organ-preserving therapy in invasive bladder carcinoma]

With the aim of organ preservation, transurethral resection with subsequent radiotherapy (until 1985) or combined radio- and chemotherapy (since 1986) was undertaken as part of a prospective trial in 175 consecutive patients (137 men, 38 women; mean age 65 [31-90] years) with invasive bladder carcinoma, tumour stage T1-4 N0-3 M0. All patients had a transurethral resection, followed 2-6 weeks later by definitive radiotherapy at a dose of 50.4 Gy to the bladder in 28 fractions. 85 patients simultaneously with the radiotherapy received chemotherapy with cisplatin (25 mg/m2 daily) or carboplatin (65-75 mg/m2 daily) in the first and fifth weeks of radiotherapy. The 5-year survival rate for the whole group (including inoperable cases) was 50%. The survival rate as related to the T category was 53% for T1 (n = 26), 68% for T2 (n = 34), 45% for T3 (n = 94) and 22% for T4 (n = 17). 139 patients (79%) were left with a normally functioning bladder. Cystectomy was performed in 36 patients because of remaining tumour or recurrence after radiotherapy. Combined radio- and chemotherapy improved the histological remission rate, compared with an earlier control group with radiotherapy only, but it did not affect the survival rate. These data indicate that in advanced bladder carcinoma organ-preserving treatment with transurethral resection and definitive radiotherapy or combined radio- and chemotherapy can be successful.