[Neo-adjuvant (or preliminary) chemotherapy in cancer of the bladder. Evaluation]

The 5-year survival rate of bladder tumours invading muscle is 30 to 50%, hence the theoretical value of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, whose results show 40 to 60% of objective responses. Various protocols have been used, but all include cisplatin. Our study reports the results of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in 15 patients. The objective response rate was 46.6%. Among the 7 responders, 5 are alive between 22 and 45 months, while only one of the non responders is alive at 57 months. The various studies of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the bladder cancer invading muscle show interesting results, but it is necessary to continue the studies, particularly, with phase III trials (comparing local treatment alone or with neoadjuvant chemotherapy).