Trimodality therapy in bladder cancer: who, what, and when?

Radical cystectomy is a standard treatment of nonmetastatic, muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Treatment with trimodality therapy consisting of maximal transurethral resection of the bladder tumor followed by concurrent chemotherapy and radiation has emerged as a method to preserve the native bladder in highly motivated patients. Several factors can affect the likelihood of long-term bladder preservation after trimodality therapy and therefore should be taken into account when selecting patients. New radiation techniques such as intensity modulated radiation therapy and image-guided radiation therapy may decrease the toxicity of radiotherapy in this setting. Novel chemotherapy regimens may improve response rates and minimize toxicity.