Clinical efficacy of transurethral retrograde en-bloc excavation of bladder tumor after basal injection with sterile water on non-muscular invasive bladder cancer

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transurethral retrograde en-bloc excavation of bladder tumor （EEBT） after basal injection with sterile water for non-muscular invasive bladder cancer （NMIBC）. Methods Clinical data of 60 patients with NMIBC were analyzed retrospectively. All patients were divided into two groups according to the surgical procedure. In the EEBT group, 30 patients received transurethral EEBT after basal injection with sterile water, and 30 patients underwent conventional transurethral resection of bladder tumor （TURBT） in the TURBT group. The baseline data, perioperative parameters, postoperative tumor pathological stage and the pathologists’ degree of satisfaction with the specimen were compared between two groups. All patients received follow-up. The tumor recurrence rate was statistically compared between two groups. Results There was no significant difference in gender, age, tumor size, tumor location, proportion of single and multiple tumors and preoperative complications between two groups （all P > 0.05）. No statistical significance was also observed in the bladder perforation rate, postoperative tumor pathological stage and pathological T stage between EEBT group and TURBT group（all P > 0.05）. Compared with the TURBT group, the operation time was longer, whereas intraoperative blood loss was less, the incidence of obturator reflex was lower, postoperative indwelling catheter time and the length of hospital stay were shorter, the pathologists’ degree of satisfaction with the specimen was higher, and the one-year tumor recurrence rate was lower in the EEBT group （all P < 0.05）. Conclusion Compared with TURBT, transurethral retrograde EEBT after basal injection with sterile water has multiple advantages of less intraoperative blood loss, faster postoperative recovery, intact tumor specimen and lower one-year tumor recurrence rate in the treatment of NMIBC.