[ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE IN RECURRENT LOW-RISK BLADDER TUMORS]

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Oncology

Background:

• Recurrent bladder tumors often require repeated surgical interventions.
• Low-risk papillary bladder tumors present a clinical challenge regarding optimal management strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and efficacy of an active surveillance policy for patients with recurrent low-risk bladder tumors.
• To determine if active surveillance can reduce the need for immediate surgical resection.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 52 patients managed with active surveillance instead of immediate resection.
• Analysis of tumor characteristics, growth rates, and outcomes during the surveillance period.

Main Results:

• Active surveillance spared 27 surgeries in 52 patients over 75 surveillance periods.
• Tumor growth rate was significantly higher in tumors with an initial diameter ≥5 mm compared to those <5 mm.
• All resected tumors were low-grade (Ta), except for one high-grade tumor.

Conclusions:

• Active surveillance is a safe approach for small, recurrent papillary bladder tumors.
• This policy can spare patients from unnecessary surgeries.
• Consider active surveillance for patients with small papillary bladder tumor recurrence.