The management of advanced bladder carcinoma

Since October 1978, 25 patients with metastatic carcinoma of the bladder have been treated with cis-platinum, doxorubicin hydrochloride and cyclophosphamide. Patient selection for this protocol was relatively strict and included only patients who had measurable parameters. All 3 drugs (60 mg./m.2 cis-platinum, 40 mg./m.2 doxorubicin hydrochloride and 400 mg./m.2 cyclophosphamide) were given as a single dose every 4 weeks. Over-all, 19 of the 23 evaluable patients (82 per cent) responded to therapy. There were 5 complete drug-induced remissions and 14 partial remissions. Generally, the treatment was tolerated well and common toxic effects were myelosuppression, nausea, vomiting and alopecia. One patient died of septicemia as a result of agranulocytosis. These promising results seem to indicate the high degree of effectiveness of this combination chemotherapy against transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.