A prospective study evaluating surgery and chemo radiation in muscle invasive bladder cancer.

AIM

The aim of our study was to compare the two standard treatment approaches in muscle invasive carcinoma of urinary bladder--radical cystectomy and chemo radiation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of bladder of stages, T2 to T4, N0/N1/N2 and M0 were included in the study. Patients were allotted to two arms of the study. Arm A consisted of radical cystectomy. Adjuvant CMV chemotherapy was given for T3/T4 or Node positive disease only. Arm B received 2 cycles of neoadjuvant CMV chemo therapy followed by concurrent chemo radiation.

RESULTS

Forty-four patients were recruited into the study. Thirty patients in the surgical arm and 13 patients in the chemo radiation arm. The actuarial two-year survival rate in surgical arm is 56% while in chemo radiation arm it is 54%. There was no statistically significant difference in disease-free survival also between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

Chemo radiation yielded equivalent survival results with radical cystectomy. So it is worth giving preference to chemo radiation that will give a better quality of life for the patient.