Bladder cancer: long-term follow-up results of patients treated with radical radiation

Carcinoma of the bladder is commonly treated for cure with external beam radiation. Whilst short-term results are associated with a good chance of disease control there is little information about the long-term results of such therapy. We present a retrospective review of the Princess Margaret Hospital experience in treating transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder and emphasis on the long-term follow-up of patients treated with radiotherapy (XRT). Between 1972 and 1980, 355 patients were treated with a radical course of external beam radiation. The overall survival was 20% at 10 years and the cause-specific survival was 32%. Radiation treatment resulted in a long-term bladder preservation in at least 25% of patients. The majority of long-term survivors without evidence of relapse were patients with T1 (solitary tumours), T2 and T3a tumours. This subgroup represents patients with disease favourable for treatment with radiation. Factors affecting response to the XRT and survival included T stage and tumour bulk. Radiation complications were frequent and were usually associated with local disease recurrence.