Efficacy and safety of dose-dense gemcitabine plus cisplatin as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of dose-dense gemcitabine and cisplatin (ddGC) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC).

METHODS

Patients with locally advanced MIBC (cT2aN0M0-cT4N1M0) who received ddGC between December 2017 and December 2023 were included. Regimens of ddGC with pegfilgrastim were administered every 2 weeks for 4 cycles, followed by radical cystectomy. The pathological complete response (CR) (pT0N0) and objective response (OR) (<pT2N0) rates were evaluated in patients who underwent radical cystectomy. Tolerability was assessed using relative dose intensity (RDI). Adverse events (AEs) were documented according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events in all patients who received ddGC. Disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method.

RESULTS

A total of 45 patients (cT2N0, 60%; cT3N0, 22%; cT4N0, 9%; and cTanyN1, 9%) were included. Of the 41 who underwent cystectomy, 38 (92.7%) completed all planned cycles, with a median RDI of 0.96 (interquartile range [IQR], 0.89-1.00). Overall, CR and OR were achieved in 12 (29.3%) and 17 (41.5%) patients, respectively, increasing to 32.4% and 45.9%, respectively, in cN0 patients. Severe AEs (grade ≥ 3) were observed in eight patients (17.8%), including four hematological toxicities. At a median follow-up of 31 months, 2-year DFS and OS were 70.8% and 89.2%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Neoadjuvant ddGC demonstrated good tolerability, efficacy, and safety, suggesting its potential as a treatment option for MIBC.