Therapeutic interventions targeting organ preservation in muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a review

Nowadays in modern oncology there is a tendency towards therapies that target organ preservation. Organ preservation protocols have become standard in the treatment of laryngeal carcinoma, oesophageal cancer, breast carcinoma and soft tissue sarcomas. The three-combined therapy consisting of a transurethral resection of the bladder tumour followed by concomitant chemoradiotherapy has been shown to be an attractive alternative for bladder preservation in selected patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. In order to evaluate the organ preservation approaches in muscle-invasive bladder cancer we have conducted a comprehensive literature review. Data reported from the studies have shown that bladder preservation therapy with a trimodality approach is safe and effective. Moreover, such an approach provides patients with the opportunity to maintain an intact and functional bladder with a survival rate similar to that of radical cystectomy.