Intraarterial infusion chemotherapy with [Sar1,Ile8]angiotensin II for bladder cancer

Thirty-three patients with primary bladder cancer (nine stage T1 with multifocal tumors and 24 stage T2-4) were treated with intraarterial infusion chemotherapy including cisplatin, doxorubicin, and [Sar1,Ile8]Angiotensin II(AT II). Of the 32 evaluable patients, 12 had pathologically proven complete response (CR), 19 showed partial response (PR), and one showed no change (NC); the overall response rate (CR + PR) was 97%. The blood pressure increased in response to the administration of [Sar1,Ile8]AT II in all the patients; the mean increase in the systolic blood pressure was 36 mmHg. Most of the side effects were mild to moderate in severity, transient in nature, and included nausea/vomiting (100%), alopecia (84%), leukopenia (66%), headache (9%), nephrotoxicity (6%), diarrhea (3%), skin pigmentation (3%), and neurotoxicity (3%). One patient who dropped out of the study developed hemiplegia as a result of cerebral infarction. The findings indicate that it is necessary to exercise caution in selecting the patients to be subjected to this therapy. We conclude that intraarterial infusion chemotherapy combined with a vasoconstrictor has a significant effect not only against multifocal superficial bladder cancer but also against invasive bladder cancer.