Interferon-a2b reduces neo-microvascular density in the 'normal' urothelium adjacent to the tumor after transurethral resection of superficial bladder carcinoma

BACKGROUND: As angiogenesis represents one of the hallmarks of cancer we investigated whether intravesically administered interferon-a (IFN-a2b) reduces neo-angiogenesis in the 'normal' urothelium adjacent to the tumor in patients with superficial bladder carcinoma after complete transurethral resection (TUR) of the tumor. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the present study 47 patients after TUR of the tumor were examined. 10 patients (group A) received no further treatment (control group); 37 patients (group B) received intravesical treatment with IFN-a2b. The instillations started within 7 days after TUR, were performed weekly for 2 months, twice a month for the next 4 months, and thereafter monthly for 6 more months. Cold cup biopsies were taken before TUR of the transitional cell carcinoma (TCC): from the tumor (T), near tumor (NT) and from normal epithelium (N). Cold cup biopsies 'near tumor', were also taken during follow-up cystoscopy (C1, C2, and C3) 2, 6, and 12 months after TUR, respectively. Angiogenesis was estimated by counting the microvessels detected with CD31 immunostaining. RESULTS: Significant differences of microvascular density (MVD) between patients of group A and B appear after TUR (p < 0.005, Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon test). The MVD difference was maximal 6 months after TUR (C2(A)-C2(B), second cystoscopy) and measured at 12.17 microvessels/ mm(2) (26.2%). CONCLUSION: Our results show that the intravesical administration of IFN-a2b after TUR significantly decreases the angiogenic potential of the 'healthy' urothelium adjacent to the tumor in patients with TCC. This observation could possibly explain, to a certain extent, the mechanism by which IFN-a2b reduces the recurrence rate of primary TCC.     

Clinical study of G3 superficial bladder cancer without concomitant CIS treated with conservative therapy

OBJECTIVE: The treatment for superficial G3 transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the urinary bladder remains controversial. It is important to reveal the clinical features of superficial G3 bladder cancer that can be treated conservatively. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 39 patients with primary superficial bladder cancer (Ta, T1) with G3 components but without concomitant carcinoma in situ (CIS), who had been treated initially with transurethral resection (TUR), were retrospectively analyzed for factors related to tumor recurrence, progression and survival. The patients were 34 males and five females whose age ranged from 49 to 85 years (average, 68 years). Initial tumor stages were Ta in one patient and T1 in 38. Initial treatments were TUR alone in 18 patients and TUR with adjuvant therapy (intravesical chemotherapy or BCG therapy) in 21. Factors examined included age, gender, morphology, size and number of tumors and adjuvant therapies. RESULTS: Follow-up periods were 3-138 months (median, 37 months). Tumor recurrence, progression and cancer death were observed in 23, seven and four cases, respectively. The 5-year progression-free rate (75%) and survival rate (83%) in 39 patients with G3 did not show a statistically significant difference from those of the 109 patients with G1 or the 187 patients with G2 superficial bladder cancer who were treated with TUR initially. Only the rate of recurrence of patients with G3 was significantly higher than that of patients with G2 or G1. Adjuvant therapies reduced the recurrence rate of the patients with G3. Only tumor morphology, papillary or non-papillary, affected both the progression-free rate and the survival rate of patients with G3. There were no statistically significant differences associated with other factors. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that superficial G3 bladder cancer could be treated with TUR initially, especially for papillary tumors.     

Prophylactic intracavitary treatment with interferon alpha increases interferon gamma production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder.

The immunomodulatory effect of prophylactic intravesical instillations of interferon alpha 2b (IFN-alpha-2b) on interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin 4 (IL-4) production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with superficial transitional cell carcinoma (STCC) of the bladder has been analysed. There were no significant differences in the production of IFN-gamma and IL-4 by PBMCs from untreated patients and healthy control subjects after 24 h of phytohaemagglutinin (PHA) stimulation. However, between 3 and 6 months after finishing the prophylactic intracavitary treatment with IFN-alpha-2b, PHA-stimulated PBMCs from patients with STCC of the bladder showed a significantly enhanced production of IFN-gamma and a significantly decreased production of IL-4. Both IFN-gamma and IL-4 returned to pretreatment levels 1 year after ending the treatment. In conclusion, prophylactic intravesical instillations of IFN-alpha-2b in patients with STCC of the bladder have an immunoregulatory effect on the production of IFN-gamma and IL-4 by PBMCs.     

Changes in mucosal immune cells of bladder tumor patient after BCG intravesical immunotherapy

The Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is considered to be at least as effective, and perhaps superior to chemotherapy in the prophylaxis of recurrent superficial tumors. However, the mechanism of the antitumor effect of BCG is still not exactly known. We have conducted investigations to examine changes in bladder mucosal immune cells in patients with superficial bladder carcinoma treated with a first cycle of BCG. The study group included 15 BCG and 5 doxorubicin instillation patients, most in the intermediate or high risk group for recurrent tumor. Grossly normal bladder mucosal cold cup biopsies were performed at initial TUR and one week after six consecutive weekly instillations of BCG or doxorubicin. All specimens underwent immunohistochemical staining, both pre-treatment and post-treatment, including CD20, CD45RO, CD8, CD4 and CD57. Immunoreactive cell counts were evaluated from three different microscopic fields (x400) under the grid. The mean duration of follow-up was 52.8 months. The post-treatment bladder mucosal B-cells (CD20) and T-cells (CD45RO, CD4, CD8) were significantly increased compared to pre-treatment in patients treated with BCG instillation, but NK-cells (CD57) were not changed. However, there was no change in B-cells or T-cells in patient treated with doxorubicin. The CD20 cells in pre-treatment specimens did not correlate with any other cells. However, it was a statistically significant correlation with CD45RO in post-treatment specimens. The CD4 correlated with CD45RO and CD8 in pre-treatment, but it was correlated with CD45RO and CD57 in post-treatment specimens. There was no tumor recurrence in cases with significantly increased B-cells after BCG instillation. The results of these studies suggest that intravesical BCG immunotherapy for superficial bladder tumor induces a significant increase in T-cells as well as B-cells and that B-cells have a preventive effect on tumor recurrence. Further studies with a larger number of patients are needed to confirm the value of the B-cell increment after BCG instillation as a clinically independent prognostic factor.     

Intravesical adjuvant chemotherapy for superficial transitional cell bladder carcinoma: results of a randomized trial with epirubicin comparing short-term versus long-term maintenance treatment

PURPOSE: Intravesical instillation of epirubicin (EPI) is one of the most effective adjuvant therapies for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer after transurethral resection. We evaluated the optimal duration of EPI instillation in a multi-institution prospective randomized clinical study. METHODS: Between June 1995 and May 1998, a total of 125 patients with superficial bladder cancer (transitional cell carcinoma grade 1 or 2) were enrolled in this study, and 102 patients were fully evaluated for recurrence. Two protocols for intravesical therapy (arm A - 30 mg EPI/30 ml saline 19 times over 1 year; arm B - 30 mg EPI/30 ml 12 times over 5 months) were established. Instillations were given every week for 4 weeks and then every 2 weeks for 4 months in arm B. After 5 months of treatment, maintenance was performed with seven further instillations (one every month for 7 months) in arm A. The analyzed background factors were the therapeutic method, gender, history (primary or recurrent tumor), stage (T classification), grade, number of tumors, and tumor size. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the analyzed background factors between the two arms, and there were no serious side effects in the study. In an intent-to-treat analysis, the overall 3-year recurrence-free survival rates were 48.5% in arm A and 55.1% in arm B. The difference between the two groups was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: This analysis indicated that extended prophylactic maintenance instillation of EPI was not significantly effective in reducing bladder cancer recurrence.     

Three-day intravesical instillation of anti-cancer drugs for prophylaxis of bladder cancer

In this study, evaluation was made of the longterm outcome of 3-day intravesical instillation as adjuvant treatment immediately after transurethral resection of superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Antitumor solution was instilled intravesically for 3 consecutive days following TUR of the primary lesion in 71 patients. All patients were randomly divided into three treatment groups. Mean intervals to the first recurrence for BLM (50.2 months) was statistically significant compared with the MMC (18.1 months) group (p=0.0485). Disease-free survival as determined by the Kaplan-Meier method in MMC, DOX and BLM was 55.0%, 60.4% and 76.2% at 2 years and 45.3%, 41.2% and 40.7% at 10 years, respectively. Postoperative 3-day intravesical instillation was found safe and may be useful for prophylaxis of bladder cancer recurrence.     

Stellenwert der transurethralen Resektion und Instillationstherapie beim Harnblasenkarzinom

Of newly diagnosed bladder cancers, 70–80% are confined to the mucosa and staged as Ta, T1, or Cis according to the 2002 TNM classification. The standard treatment for these non-muscle-invasive bladder cancers is transurethral tumor resection (TUR), which on the one hand generates diagnostic staging information after histopathological assessment and has on the other hand therapeutic character. In all T1 tumors and in all cases of incomplete tumor resection a repeat (R0) resection is recommended. Due to high recurrence rates and, at least in poorly differentiated tumors, also high progression rates, additional adjuvant intravesical instillation therapy is routinely recommended. While one early chemotherapy instillation is sufficient in most “low-risk” Ta tumors, large and frequently recurrent Ta tumors should be additionally treated with induction and if necessary also maintenance therapy. Tumors with “high risk” of recurrence and progression (T1 or high grade) are a domain of intravesical immunotherapy with BCG (bacillus Calmette-Guérin).     

Comparison of the prophylactic usefulness of epirubicin and doxorubicin in the treatment of superficial bladder cancer by intravesical instillation: a multicenter randomized trial

A multicentric randomized trial was conducted for the purpose of investigating the prophylactic efficacy of intravesical epirubicin instillation following transurethral resection of superficial bladder cancer in comparison with the efficacy of doxorubicin. The patients were centrally randomized into 2 groups and received 19 intravesical instillations of epirubicin or doxorubicin at 30 mg/30 ml physiological saline twice a week for 4 weeks and then once monthly for 11 months. A total of 150 patients with Ta and T1 superficial bladder cancer were entered in the trial, and 114 were evaluable. The nonrecurrence rates determined for each group at 1 and 2 years by the Kaplan-Meier method were 92.8% and 88.6%, respectively, for the epirubicin group and 86.4% and 81.7%, respectively, for the doxorbicin group. The differences between the two groups were not statistically significant. The main side effects encountered in this study were symptoms of bladder irritation such as micturitional pain, pollakisuria, and hematuria. The respective frequencies of those symptoms were 10%, 15.0%, and 5.0% in the epirubicin group and 14,8%, 14.8%, and O in the doxorubicin group. These results suggest that epirubicin is a useful drug, comparable with doxorubicin, for intravesical instillation chemotherapy in the prophylactic treatment of superficial bladder cancer.Paper presented at the 5th International Conference on Treatment of Urinary Tract Tumors with Adriamycin/Farmorubicin, 24–25 September 1993, Hakone, Japan     

Intravesical instillation of doxorubicin or epirubicin for chemoprophylaxis of superficial bladder cancer--the fifth study of the Japanese Urological Cancer Research Group for Adriamycin/Farumorubicin

A total of 465 patients with primary and multiple or recurrent, stages Ta and T1 superficial bladder cancer were included in this randomized multicenter trial to compare the prophylactic effect by 17 times instillation of 40 mg doxorubicin or 40 mg epirubicin with no instillation after transurethral resection of tumor(s). The primary endpoint was first recurrence after transurethral resection. Endoscopic examination as well as urinary cytology was performed in each case every three months. It became evident that the recurrence rate in the doxorubicin or epirubicin instillation arm was lower that in the no instillation arm. Toxicity was mainly restricted to bladder irritation in about 10% of patients in each instillation arm.     

147例表浅性膀胱癌预后因素分析

目的 :探讨表浅性膀胱癌各种因素与患者预后的关系。方法 :对 147例表浅性膀胱癌进行回顾性分析。结果 :147例中 ,72例术后复发 ( 4 9% ) ,术后 5年复发率为 35.4 %。初诊时为多发者、直径大于 3cm、分级与分期高的肿瘤术后复发率分别高于单发者、直径小于 3cm者、分级、分期低的肿瘤。术后 6个月内肿瘤复发者经治疗后肿瘤再次复发的机会高 ,术后膀胱内灌药可以预防肿瘤复发。结论 :肿瘤分级与分期高、多发肿瘤、直径大于 3cm者及术后膀胱内未灌药者复发率高     

The 4th study of prophylactic intravesical chemotherapy with Adriamycin in the treatment of superficial bladder cancer: the experience of the Japanese urological cancer research group of Adriamycin

A multicentric randomised trial was conducted for the purpose of investigating the efficacy of intravesical chemoprophylaxis of superficial bladder cancer. A total of 443 patients (number of evaluable patients, 284) were registered from July 1987 to December 1989 and randomised into 3 groups. Group A received 21 intravesical instillations of Adriamycin (ADM) at 20 mg/40 ml physiological saline for 2 years after undergoing transurethral resection (TUR); group B was given the same dose as group A but received 6 intravesical instillations for 2 weeks before undergoing TUR; and group C served as a control and underwent TUR only. Better prophylactic effects were obtained in group A. The overall non-recurrence rates calculated for groups A and B differed significantly (P<0.05) on=" day=" 240,=" and=" those=" determined=" for=" groups=" a=" and=" c=" were=" also=" significantly=" different=">P<0.01) on=" day=" 480.=" no=" benefit=" was=" obtained=" using=" intravesical=" instillation=" prior=" to=" tur=" (group=" b).=" the=" major=" side=" effects=" encountered=" were=" pollakisuria=" and=" miction=" pain,=" which=" occurred=" in=" 32%=" of=" the=" patients=" in=" group=" a=" and=" in=" 52%=" of=" those=" in=" group=">Presented at the 4th International Conference on Treatment of Urinary Tract Tumors with Ariamycin/Farmorubicin, 16–17 November 1990, osaka, Japan     

浅表性膀胱肿瘤的腔内手术治疗

目的 评价浅表性膀胱肿瘤腔内手术的方法与临床价值。方法 回顾分析腔内治疗浅表性膀胱肿瘤396例,其中180例行经尿道膀胱肿瘤电切术(TURBT),216例行经尿道膀胱肿瘤电汽化术(TVBT),对两组的手术时间、手术中出血量、并发症发生率、术后肿瘤复发率等进行比较。结果 TYBT组在术中出血量、并发症等方面明显优于TURBT组,且TVBT视野清晰,操作简便。两组在手术时间、肿瘤复发率方面无显著差别。结论 TVBT具有手术时间短、术中出血少和并发症少等优点,具有较好的治疗效果和临床价值。     

Single monthly bacillus Calmette-Guérin intravesical instillation is effective maintenance therapy to prevent recurrence in Japanese patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Background

A series of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) bladder instillations is the gold standard therapy to prevent recurrence after transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TUR-Bt) of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). However, in some cases the outcome is not optimal with the standard 6- to 8-week protocol and therefore interest has focused on additional maintenance therapy. The present study was conducted to assess the utility of single monthly intravesical instillation treatments for up to 1?year in Japanese patients.

Methods

A total of 75?stage Ta and T1 patients who had undergone TUR-Bt were retrospectively evaluated, all first receiving 80?mg BCG (Tokyo 172 strain) given once a week, 6–8 times, for primary prophylaxis. Comparison was then made of groups with (group A, 48 patients) and without (group B, 27 patients) additional maintenance BCG therapy given once a month 6–8 times.

Results

Recurrence-free survival rates at 5?years in groups A and B were 83.0 and 51.9% (P?=?0.006), despite the greater proportion of T1 patients and the longer follow-up period in the group A patients. Significant protection against recurrence persisted on multivariate analysis with adjustment for age, stage, grade, and tumor number.

Conclusions

These findings indicate maintenance BCG therapy of single intravesical instillations given once a month with our protocol to be definitely effective for prophylactic use, especially in stage Ta patients. Further evaluation of parameters such as the continuance period and dose protocol is warranted.     

Prophylactic intravesical instillation chemotherapy against recurrence after a transurethral resection of superficial bladder cancer: a randomized controlled trial of doxorubicin plus verapamil versus doxorubicin alone

Purpose: We investigated whether verapamil (VR), a known chemosensitizing agent of P-glycoprotein-mediated multidrug resistance, could enhance the preventative effect of doxorubicin (Adriamycin, ADM) on both intravesical recurrence and disease progression after transurethral resection (TUR) of superficial bladder cancer. Methods: The patients were randomized into two groups: one group received an intravesical instillation of ADM (30 mg) plus VR (15 mg) after TUR of superficial bladder cancer (19 times over 1 year), and the other group received ADM alone on the same treatment schedule. The nonrecurrence rate, the incidence of disease progression at the first recurrence and the side effects were compared over a median follow-up of 38.5 months. Results: Of the 226 patients registered, 157 were evaluable. No significant differences were observed in the patients' characteristics between the two groups. Although the incidence of disease progression at the first recurrence was not significantly different between the two groups, the ADM plus VR instillation group did show a significantly higher nonrecurrence rate than the ADM-only instillation group, and such significance persisted even when any possible bias was allowed for in a multivariate analysis. In terms of side effects, the incidence and severity of bladder irritation symptoms were not significantly different between the two groups. Conclusions: Intravesical instillation chemotherapy with ADM plus VR was found to have a significantly greater beneficial effect than with ADM alone for preventing recurrence after TUR of superficial bladder cancer. Received: 11 November 1997 / Accepted: 20 January 1998     

Carcinoma in situ of the urinary bladder. Effect of associated neoplastic lesions on clinical course and treatment

Clinical courses of 67 patients with carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the urinary bladder during 14 years from 1971 to 1984 were investigated according to the clinical type of CIS and treatment methods. CIS was classified into four types: the primary group included 18 patients who had neither prior nor simultaneous tumors of the urinary tract; the secondary group included 10 patients who had CIS diagnosed subsequent to the treatment of superficial papillary bladder tumor; the concurrent group included 14 patients who had CIS concomitantly with superficial papillary bladder tumor; and the nonpapillary T1 group included 25 patients who presented with CIS with concomitant nonpapillary T1 tumor. As a rule, the initial treatment was conservative (transurethral resection [TUR] or intravesical chemotherapy) for the primary, secondary, and concurrent CIS groups, whereas treatment was radical (total cystectomy or irradiation) for the nonpapillary T1 group. Five-year survival rates of the primary, secondary, concurrent, and nonpapillary T1 groups were 41%, 100%, 49%, and 68%, respectively. Secondary CIS revealed a rather good prognosis, probably due to the early detection of CIS and early application of intravesical chemotherapy when compared to other groups. Except for patients with nonpapillary T1 tumors, the 5-year rate of malignant progression (invasion or metastasis) and multiple recurrences leading to delayed cystectomy was 81% in 16 patients treated by TUR, whereas it was 39% in 21 patients treated by instillation therapy. It appears likely that intravesical chemotherapy was preferable to other conservative therapies as an initial treatment of CIS. Radical therapy, however, may be the choice for CIS with nonpapillary T1 tumors, ab initio.     

Sequential instillation therapy with mitomycin C and Adriamycin for superficial bladder cancer

Intravesical chemotherapy involving the sequential instillation of mitomycin C (MMC) and Adriamycin (ADM) was performed in 40 patients with superficial bladder cancer (pathological stages Ta and T1). In all, 20 mg MMC on day 1 and 30 mg ADM on day 2 were instilled into the bladder. This treatment was repeated weekly for 6 consecutive weeks and then monthly for 22 months in cases patients who did not experience serious side effects. A total of 20 patients were treated for multiple recurrences, and the efficacy was evaluated. In all, 9 subjects (45%) achieved a complete response and 6 (30%) showed a partial response, for an overall response rate of 75%. The other 20 patients, including 9 with primary multiple or high-grade tumors and 11 with recurrent tumors, received prophylactic instillation therapy after undergoing transurethral resection (TUR) of their lesions. Of the 9 primary cases, 3 recurred at 19, 8, and 3 months after TUR, respectively, whereas 6 showed no recurrence over a mean follow-up period of 14 months. Of the 11 recurrent cases, the 100-patient-month recurrence rate of 11.9 obtained prior to this treatment fell to 1.4 after the start of therapy. Chemical cystitis was observed in 20 of the 40 patients treated, but the symptoms were transient and tolerable.Presented at the 4th International Conference on Treatment of Urinary Tract Tumors with Adriamycin/Farmorubicin, 16–17 November 1990, Osaka, Japan     

浅表膀胱癌经尿道电切术后早期膀胱灌注与常规膀胱灌注的疗效对比观察

目的:比较浅表膀胱癌经尿道电切术后行早期膀胱灌注与常规膀胱灌注的临床疗效。方法:选取164例浅表膀胱癌患者,随机分为早期灌注组(75例)和常规灌注组(89例),分别于术后24h内行膀胱灌注与术后7 d行膀胱灌注,随访比较两组患者术后并发症及复发情况。结果:早期灌注组复发率为12.0%,复发时间平均为术后15个月;常规灌注组复发率为34.83%,复发时间平均为术后9个月。两组比较,早期灌注组复发率低于常规灌注组(P<0.05),复发时间推迟(P<0.05)。膀胱灌注后少数患者出现膀胱炎,两组比较无显著性差异。两组患者白细胞计数和肝肾功能均未见明显异常。结论:早期行膀胱灌注较常规膀胱灌注能明显降低膀胱癌术后复发率,推迟复发时间;两种灌注方法对患者术后膀胱炎等并发症的影响没有差异。表明早期行膀胱灌注是一种预防浅表膀胱癌术后复发及并发症的安全有效疗法。     

浅表膀胱癌经尿道电切术后早期膀胱灌注与常规膀胱灌注的疗效对比观察

目的：比较浅表膀胱癌经尿道电切术后行早期膀胱灌注与常规膀胱灌注的临床疗效。方法：选取164例浅表膀胱癌患者,随机分为早期灌注组（75例）和常规灌注组（89例）,分别于术后24h内行膀胱灌注与术后7 d行膀胱灌注,随访比较两组患者术后并发症及复发情况。结果：早期灌注组复发率为12.0%,复发时间平均为术后15个月;常规灌注组复发率为34.83%,复发时间平均为术后9个月。两组比较,早期灌注组复发率低于常规灌注组（P〈0.05）,复发时间推迟（P〈0.05）。膀胱灌注后少数患者出现膀胱炎,两组比较无显著性差异。两组患者白细胞计数和肝肾功能均未见明显异常。结论：早期行膀胱灌注较常规膀胱灌注能明显降低膀胱癌术后复发率,推迟复发时间;两种灌注方法对患者术后膀胱炎等并发症的影响没有差异。表明早期行膀胱灌注是一种预防浅表膀胱癌术后复发及并发症的安全有效疗法。     

Effect of internal iliac artery chemotherapy after transurethral resection of bladder tumor for muscle invasive bladder cancer

Objective： To evaluate the clinical effect of transurethral resection of bladder tumor（TUR-BT） combined with internal iliac artery chemotherapy and intravesical instillation therapy for muscle invasive bladder cancer（MIBC）.
Methods： From February 2007 to April 2014, 62 patients with MIBC were treated with TUR-BT combined with intravesical instillation therapy, with or without internal iliac artery chemotherapy, and the chemotherapy regimen is gemcitabine and cisplatin（GC）. The bladder preservation and survival rate as well as cancer-specific survival（CSS） rate and overall survival（OS） rate of the two groups were compared.
Results： Sixty-two patients were followed-up for 26-102 months with an average of 58.4±3.1 months. Recurrence-free survival（RFS） at 2-year for TUR ＋ GC group and TUR group were 77.8% and 53.8%, respectively. Bladder preserved rate（BPR） at 3-year for TUR ＋ GC group and TUR group were 94.4% and 80.8%. CSS rate at 2-year for TUR ＋ GC group and TUR group were 94.4% and 84.6%. The diseasefree survival（DFS） at 1-year for TUR ＋ GC group and TUR group were 83.3% and 61.5%, and 77.8% and 53.8% for the 2nd year. OS at 2-year for TUR ＋ GC group and TUR group were 88.9% and 92.3%.
Conclusions： TUR-BT and intravesical instillation therapy combined with internal iliac artery chemotherapy for MIBC had a better outcome at RFS, BPR and DFS than the treatment without internal iliac artery chemotherapy, and no difference in OS and CSS.     

Intravesical BCG therapy in patients with recurrent superficial bladder tumors

Intravesical instillation of BCG has recently become a treatment for superficial bladder tumor, and favorable results are reported. We have also obtained favorable results by performing intravesical BCG therapy to totally 32 cases of superficial recurrent bladder tumor and carcinoma in situ (CIS) one indicated for total cystectomy. The subjects were 29 cases of Ta and T1 and 4 cases of Tis, which are classified into 27 cases for treatment and 5 cases for prevention of recurrence after TUR. As the method for administration, 120 or 80 mg of BCG was dissolved in physiological saline and infused intravesically every week a total of 8 times. As a result of designating the patients who received the treatment more than 4 times as the subject, CR and PR were 19 cases (73%) and 5 cases (19%), or respectively, out of 26 assessable cases, and effective rate including PR was 93%. No recurrence has been observed so far in any of 5 cases treated for prevention of recurrence. Side effects which required treatment were observed in 13 cases (41%), but treatment could be continued by symptomatic therapy in most of the cases. Treatment was discontinued in 4 cases, 3 of which were hepatic disorders. It is considered that intravesical instillation of BCG is a therapeutic procedure which is good for trial in future in the light of the great efficacy obtained in the present study.