Exploring the Efficacy of Immunotherapy in Combination with Surgical Resection in High-risk Muscle-invasive Bladder...

Traditional radical cystectomy has a high recurrence rate, a high probability of metastasis, and a reduced quality of life for patients. This study aimed to explore the efficacy of combining immunotherapy and surgical resection for high-risk muscle-invasive bladder cancer. In a retrospective study, 231 patients with high-risk muscle-invasive bladder cancer admitted to Yueyang People's Hospital between January 2019 and May 2024 were selected. After exclusions, 200 cases were analyzed and divided into two groups according to the treatment modality: the control group (surgical resection alone, n=100) and the intervention group (combination of immunotherapy and surgical resection, n=100). The cellular immune function indexes (CD3+, CD4+/CD8+, and natural killer cell levels), tumor markers (carcinoembryonic antigen, carbohydrate antigen 125, cytokeratin 21-1, and neuron-specific enolase), serum cytokines (basic fibroblast growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and tumor necrosis factor-α), pathological complete remission (pCR), 1-year survival, and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Bladder (FACT-BL) quality-of-life scores were assessed in the two groups. After 1 year of treatment, the indicators of the two groups of patients were statistically significant in comparison with each other. Patients in the intervention group had substantial improvements in immune function indexes, pCR, 1-year survival rate, and FACT-BL scores in comparison with the control group. Tumor markers and serum cytokines were lower than those in the control group. The combination of immunotherapy and surgical resection can enhance clinical efficacy, providing a scientific basis for optimizing the clinical treatment plan.