[Intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy in bladder cancer]

Between 1976 and 1985, 35 patients with bladder cancer were preoperatively treated with intra-arterial doxorubicin (ADM) chemotherapy. We separated these patients into 2 groups according to regimen: A) 1-3 shots of ADM infusion with or without radiotherapy, and B) 3-day courses of ADM infusion with low-dose radiotherapy. The 5-year actual survival rate according to stage (T category) was 100% in T1-2, 37.5% in T3 and 23.3% in T4. In T1-2, bladder preservative operations were done on 50% of the patients in group A and 100% in group B. In T3-4, the 5-year actual survival rate in group A was 22.5%, while in group B it was 52.8% (p less than 0.01). The bladder preservative operations were done on 33.3% of the patients in group A and 73.3% in group B. The patients who received ADM intra-arterial chemotherapy combined with low-dose radiotherapy for bladder cancers, who achieved complete or partial remission, might be able to preserve their bladder.