Current status of neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Muscle-invasive transitional cell carcinoma occurs in approximately 30% of patients and is associated with a high risk of distant metastasis. Radical local therapy in the form of cystectomy or radiotherapy is curative in a portion of patients. Systemic therapy to treat occult micrometastasis at the time of local control is necessary to improve outcomes. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is associated with a 5-6% improvement in overall survival at 5 years, and adjuvant chemotherapy may achieve similar results, although this remains unproven. Operative complications are not increased with neoadjuvant therapy. Perioperative treatment strategies remain underutilized, and many patients are not offered treatment to reduce the risk of relapse. Neoadjuvant strategies are a potent tool for research and should be employed to test new agents for the treatment of transitional cell carcinoma.