Prognosis of patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer who are intolerable to receive any anti-cancer treatment.

BACKGROUND

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prognosis of patients who had been diagnosed with muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) and did not receive anti-cancer treatment because of their physical characteristics.

METHODS

Between January 2012 and October 2019, 96 patients were diagnosed with MIBC (cT2-4N0M0) in our institution. Of those, 64 patients had undergone radical cystectomy (RC), 6 had received palliative radiation therapy, and 26 had not received any anti-cancer treatment. We further evaluated the 26 patients who had received no anti-cancer treatment.

RESULTS

The no anti-cancer treatment group were significantly older (91 vs. 75 years, p<0.001), comprised fewer men (42% vs. 72%, p=0.015), and had poorer performance status (PS) (mean 2.69 vs. 0.32, p<0.001) than the RC group. The follow periods were 9.5 months and 28.5 months, respectively. Median overall survival (OS) was 12 months in the no anti-cancer treatment group, whereas the median OS was not reached during the study period in the RC group. In univariate analysis, OS was significantly associated with estimated GFR (eGFR) less than 30 mL/min/1.73m (median OS, 10 vs 16 months, p = 0.044). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that eGFR was significantly associated with OS (hazards ratio 0.267 [95% CI 0.0858-0.8357]; p = 0.0023).

CONCLUSIONS

We evaluated the prognosis of patients with untreated MIBC. Their median OS was 12 months and eGFR was a significant prognostic factor. These findings may help in counseling patients about prognosis if no anti-cancer treatment is given.