Management of Superficial Bladder Carcinoma: Time to Rethink the Treatment Strategies in the Era of Orthotopic Neo-Bladder

The objective of this study was to evaluate the recurrence and progression, on long-term follow-up, of patients with superficial bladder cancer managed with bladder sparing approach. A total of 48 patients with superficial bladder cancer, initially treated with bladder sparing approach between 1990 and 1992, were available for long-term follow-up ranging between 10 and 15 years; the remaining patients were lost to follow-up. All patients had undergone transurethral resection and adjuvant intravesical therapy. Recurrence was treated with resection and adjuvant therapy or radical cystectomy in cases of progression. Out of 48 study subjects, 11 had T1G1, 23 had T1G2 and 14 had T1G3 tumor. In the T1G1 group, 45.5% had recurrence. Four had single recurrence managed successfully with TURBT and intravesical therapy. One had multiple recurrences and underwent radiotherapy after the fifth recurrence. In the T1G2 group, 82.6% had recurrence and majority (60.8%) had multiple recurrences. Out of 14 cases with multiple recurrences, eight patients ultimately progressed to invasive bladder carcinoma and underwent radical cystectomy. Majority of these underwent ileal conduit because ileal neobladder could not be created due to severe fibrosis. All 14 patients with T1G3 had recurrence, of whom three (21.4%) had single recurrence. Out of the 11 other patients (78.6%) who had multiple recurrences, nine developed invasive bladder carcinoma and underwent radical cystectomy. Orthotopic neo-bladder could be performed only in one patient and the remaining had ileal conduit or Mainz pouch. We conclude that in the era of orthotopic neo-bladder offering good quality of life, radical cystectomy should be considered at the earliest opportunity in patients with aggressive superficial bladder cancer.