Methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin followed by radiotherapy or surgery for muscle invasive bladder cancer: the University of Chicago experience.

A total of 29 patients with muscle invasive bladder cancer, clinical stage T2N0 (12), T3aN0 (9), T3bN0 (5), T3N2 (2) or T4N2 (1), underwent 2 to 4 cycles of neoadjuvant methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin (M-VAC) chemotherapy followed by either radiotherapy (15), radical cystectomy (11) or no local therapy (3). The overall response rate to M-VAC chemotherapy was 69%, with 31% clinical complete responses and 38% clinical partial responses. A functioning bladder was maintained in 55% of the responding patients, although bladder wall calcifications were observed in 4 of 15 irradiated patients. Overall survival was 71% and disease-free survival was 55% at a median followup of 57 months. For the 12 stage T2N0 cancer patients overall survival was 100% at a median followup of 52 months. For the stages T3a and T3bN0 cancer patients overall survival was 63%, while all 3 node positive patients died. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with a modified M-VAC regimen is well tolerated and may result in bladder preservation.