Combination therapy with microwave coagulation and intracavitary irradiation for bladder cancer. Technique and...

Twenty-five patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder have been treated with combined therapy consisting of microwave regional coagulation and intracavitary irradiation. A remote-controlled after-loading system was utilized for the radiation therapy. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 19 months with an average of 11.4 months. Tumor stages were Tis (n = 2), Ta or T1 (n = 17), T2 (n = 2), T3 (n = 3) and T4 (n = 1), and grades were G1 (n = 10), G2 (n = 11) and G3 (n = 4). In 23 patients (92%), there was no endoscopic or histologic evidence of tumor after the initial treatment. Heterotopic recurrences were found after 2 or 3 months in 3 patients who received microwave regional coagulation or intracavitary regional irradiation. Additional intracavitary whole bladder mucosal irradiation was performed for 10 patients with multiple tumors and frequent recurrent tumors. Nine patients had no recurrence (average follow-up 11 months). Our preliminary findings indicate that combination therapy of microwave coagulation and intracavitary irradiation is a useful treatment for bladder cancer.