15-year experience on intravesical therapy of T1G3 urinary bladder cancer: a conservative approach

To report the recurrence, progression and survival in patients with T1G3 transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder treated with sequential intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) and chemotherapeutic agents (doxorubicin or epirubicin) on long-term follow up.

Between July 1988 and September 1999, all patients in a single center with T1G3 bladder TCC, after complete transurethral resection (TURBT), received either 81 mg of Connaught strain BCG or 50 mg of doxorubicin or epirubicin as adjuvant therapy. A conservative approach was adopted whereby those with superficial recurrences were eligible to crossover, even repeatedly, until progression to muscle invasion. Recurrence, progression and disease-specific survival were analyzed.

There were 36 patients included, with 26 males and 10 females. The mean age was 71.6 years (range 53-85 years). Final analysis was made at a median follow-up of 23.5 months (range 0-125 months) for recurrence, 33 months (range 0-125 months) for progression and 45.5 months (range 3-125 months) for survival. Sixteen (44.4%) patients showed recurrence. Nine (25%) of these 16 patients progressed. Five (13.9%) of those who progressed died of TCC. The 10 year Kaplan-Meier estimates for recurrence-free survival, progression-free survival and disease-specific survival were 48, 68 and 81%, respectively. Figures with this conservative approach were comparable to those with more aggressive approaches reported in the literature.

Adjuvant intravesical therapy with either BCG or a chemotherapeutic agent (doxorubicin or epirubicin) and crossover on recurrence was an effective conservative treatment for T1G3 bladder TCC.