Induction Chemotherapy Followed by Surgery Versus Upfront Radical Cystectomy in Patients With Clinically Node-positive Muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer.

The aim of this study was to compare survival outcomes in patients with clinically node-positive muscle-invasive bladder cancer receiving induction chemotherapy (IC) followed by surgery and those who underwent upfront radical cystectomy (RC).

Outcomes were reviewed in patients with cT2-4N1-3M0 bladder cancer treated with IC followed by surgery or upfront RC between January 1995 and June 2017. Survival outcomes were analyzed using a propensity score matched cohort analysis.

Of the 340 eligible patients, 106 received IC and 234 underwent upfront RC. The overall 3-year metastasis-free survival rate and 5-year cancer-specific survival rate of patients in the IC and RC groups were similar (49.4% vs. 46.0% and 49.6% vs. 49.8%, respectively). The 5-year cancer-specific survival rate of cN1-2 patients was higher in the IC group than the RC group (68.1% vs. 52.9%; P = .035). However, the 5-year cancer-specific survival rate of patients with cN3 cancers was significantly lower in the IC group than the RC group (19.2% vs. 44.5%; P = .015).

In this study, IC was seen to improve cancer-specific survival in patients with cN1-2 muscle-invasive bladder cancers but was associated with poorer survival outcomes than upfront RC in patients with cN3 cancers. Further investigation in prospective, randomized studies is warranted.

Clinical genitourinary cancer. 2019 Jan 09 [Epub ahead of print]

Sahyun Pak, Dalsan You, In Gab Jeong, Cheryn Song, Jae-Lyun Lee, Bumsik Hong, Jun Hyuk Hong, Choung-Soo Kim, Hanjong Ahn

Department of Urology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea., Department of Oncology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea., Department of Urology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. Electronic address: .