Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin followed by selective bladder preservation chemoradiotherapy in muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of bladder

Purpose: To assess the safety and efficacy of gemcitabine and cisplatin as neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by selective bladder preservation chemoradiotherapy in muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Materials and Methods: Patients with clinical T2-T4aN0M0 MIBC eligible for radical cystectomy and cisplatin-based chemotherapy were treated with gemcitabine 1,000 mg/m2 on days 1, 8 and 15, and cisplatin 70 mg/m2 on day 1 every 28 days for 3 cycles. After clinical re-staging with computed tomography scans and cystoscopy, patients with clinical complete response (CR) were eligible to proceed without cystectomy and receive bladder preservation chemoradiotherapy involving weekly cisplatin 10 mg/m2 and up to 70.2 Gy of radiation. The primary endpoint of the present prospective phase II study was metastasis-free survival (MFS). Results: Between Oct 2017 and Nov 2019, a total of 138 MIBC patients were enrolled and treated with neoadjuvant gemcitabine/cisplatin. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy was well-tolerated, with fatigue, nausea, and pruritus being the most commonly observed adverse events. After completion of planned neoadjuvant chemotherapy, 54 patients with a clinical CR and 10 patients who did not have CR but refused surgery received bladder preservation chemoradiotherapy. With a median follow-up duration of 34 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 32%–36%), the 3-year MFS rate in 64 chemoradiotherapy patients was calculated to be 70% (95% CI, 58%–82%). Conclusions: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by selective bladder preservation chemoradiotherapy based on the clinical CR was feasible and efficacious in the treatment of MIBC.