Current management practice for bladder cancer in Hong Kong: a hospital-based cross-sectional survey

To examine current practice in the management of bladder cancer in Hong Kong government and private hospitals.

Cross-sectional survey.

All government hospitals and the major private institutions in Hong Kong, which provide urological services.

Urologists responding to an anonymous, self-administered, web-based questionnaire regarding practices in smoking cessation, treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and muscle invasive bladder cancer, and research into bladder cancer.

Of the 29 urologists from 11 government hospitals and eight private institutions who were invited, 18 from 11 (100%) government hospitals and seven from six (75%) private institutions responded, which amounted to an 86% response rate. In all, 88% of the respondents seldom or never referred their bladder cancer patients to smoking cessation programmes. Hong Kong urologists showed good compliance in the management of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer according to international guidelines. There was great variation with regard to regimens for maintenance of intravesical immunotherapy. There was underuse of perioperative systemic chemotherapy, despite wide acceptance of this practice; fewer than 10% of the patients received neo-adjuvant and adjuvant systemic chemotherapy for the treatment of muscle invasive bladder cancer. Of the surveyed urologists, 80% expressed an inadequacy of resources for bladder cancer research and 96% agreed that a local inter-hospital bladder cancer database was needed.

This study demonstrated great diversity in the use of intravesical immunotherapy, perioperative systemic chemotherapy, and surgical treatment of bladder cancer among urology service providers. There is a need for clear recommendations in these areas.