Abstract
Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer for men and the eighth most common cancer for women. Transitional cell carcinoma is the most predominant histological type. Bladder cancer is highly chemosensitive. In metastatic setting the treatment is based on cisplatin chemotherapy regimens type MVAC, MVAC-HD or gemcitabine plus cisplatin. The standard treatment of muscle invasive operable bladder cancer (T2–T4) used widely was radical cystectomy with pelvic lymph nodes dissection; the anatomical extent of pelvic lymphadenectomy has not accurately been defined so far. However, in the last decade, the treatment of tumors was improved by the introduction of chemotherapy as part of the management of the disease. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy should be considered at first, as standard treatment of choice, before local treatment for patients with good performance status (0–1) and good renal function–glomerular filtration rate (GFR) >60 mL/min. For patients treated with primary surgery, adjuvant chemotherapy is a valuable option in the case of lymph nodes involvement. This brief review would provide the evidence of the role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the management of operable muscle invasive (T2–T4) bladder cancer.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Jemal A, Siegel R, Ward E, Hao Y, Xu J, Murray T et al (2008) Cancer statistics. CA Cancer J Clin 58(2):71–96
Bacon C (2005) Chemotherapy for bladder cancer. In: Waxman J (ed) Urological cancers. Springer, London, pp 145–155
Rathkopf D, Scher HI (2007) Multidisciplinary management of genitourinary malignancies. In: Alison MR (ed) The cancer handbook, 2nd edn edn. Wiley, London, pp 1432–1452
Logothetis CJ, Dexeus FH, Finn L, Sella A, Amato RJ, Ayala AG et al (1990) A prospective randomized trial comparing MVAC and CISCA chemotherapy for patients with metastatic urothelial tumors. J Clin Oncol 8(6):1050–1055
Loehrer PJ, Einhorn LH, Elson PJ, Crawford ED, Kuebler P, Tannock I et al (1992) A randomized comparison of cisplatin alone or in combination with methotrexate, vinblastine, and doxorubicin in patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma: a cooperative group study. J Clin Oncol 10(7):1066–1073
Sternberg CN, de Mulder PH, Schornagel JH, Théodore C, Fossa SD, van Oosterom AT et al (2001) Randomized phase III trial of high-dose-intensity methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (MVAC) chemotherapy and recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor versus classic MVAC in advanced urothelial tract tumors: European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Protocol no. 30924. J Clin Oncol 19:2638–2646
Sternberg CN, de Mulder P, Schornagel JH, Theodore C, Fossa SD, van Oosterom AT et al (2006) Seven year update of an EORTC phase III trial of high-dose intensity M-VAC chemotherapy and G-CSF versus classic M-VAC in advanced urothelial tract tumours. Eur J Cancer 42:50–54
von der Maase H, Hansen SW, Roberts JT, Dogliotti L, Oliver T, Moore MJ, Bodrogi I, Albers P, Knuth A, Lippert CM, Kerbrat P, Sanchez Rovira P, Wersall P, Cleall SP, Roychowdhury DF, Tomlin I, Visseren-Grul CM, Conte PF (2000) Gemcitabine and cisplatin versus methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin in advanced or metastatic bladder cancer: results of a large, randomized, multinational, multicenter, phase III study. J Clin Oncol 18(17):3068–3077
Wallace DM, Raghavan D, Kelly KA, Sandeman TF, Conn IG, Teriana N et al (1991) Neo-adjuvant (pre-emptive) cisplatin therapy in invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Br J Urol 67:608–615
Martinez-Piñeiro JA, Gonzalez Martin M, Arocena F, Flores N, Roncero CR, Portillo JA, Escudero A, Jimenez Cruz F, Isorna S (1995) Neoadjuvant cisplatin chemotherapy before radical cystectomy in invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder: a prospective randomized phase III study. J Urol 153((3 Pt 2)):964–973
Orsatti M, Curotto A, Canobbio L, Guarneri D, Scarpati D, Venturini M et al (1995) Alternating chemo-radiotherapy in bladder cancer: a conservative approach. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 33:173–178
Coppin CM, Gospodarowicz MK, James K, Tannock IF, Zee B, Carson J et al (1996) Improved local control of invasive bladder cancer by concurrent cisplatin and preoperative or definitive radiation. The National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group. J Clin Oncol 14:2901–2907
Malmström PU, Rintala E, Wahlqvist R, Hellström P, Hellsten S, Hannisdal E (1996) Five-year followup of a prospective trial of radical cystectomy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy: nordic cystectomy trial I. The Nordic Cooperative Bladder Cancer Study Group. J Urol 155:1903–1906
Bassi P, Pagano F, Pappagallo G (1998) Neoadjuvant M-VAC of invasive bladder cancer: G.U.O.N.E. multicenter phase III trial. Eur Urol 33 (abstract 567)
GISTV (Italian Bladder Cancer Study Group) (1996) Neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced bladder cancer: a randomized prospective clinical trial. J Chemother 8:345–346
(1999) Neoadjuvant cisplatin, methotrexate, and vinblastine chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a randomised controlled trial. International collaboration of trialists. Lancet 354(9178):533–540
Grossman HB, Natale RB, Tangen CM, Speights VO, Vogelzang NJ, Trump DL et al (2003) Neoadjuvant chemotherapy plus cystectomy compared with cystectomy alone for locally advanced bladder cancer. N Engl J Med 349(9):859–866
Sherif A, Rintala E, Mestad O, Nilsson J, Holmberg L, Nilsson S, Malmström PU, Nordic Urothelial Cancer Group (2002) Neoadjuvant cisplatin-methotrexate chemotherapy for invasive bladder cancer—Nordic cystectomy trial 2. Scand J Urol Nephrol 36:419–425
Advanced Bladder Cancer (ABC) Meta-analysis Collaboration (2005) Adjuvant chemotherapy in invasive bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data advanced bladder cancer (ABC) meta-analysis collaboration. Eur Urol 48(2):189–199
International Collaboration of Trialists, Medical Research Council Advanced Bladder Cancer Working Party (now the National Cancer Research Institute Bladder Cancer Clinical Studies Group), European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Genito-Urinary Tract Cancer Group, Australian Bladder Cancer Study Group, National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group, Finnbladder, Norwegian Bladder Cancer Study Group, Club Urologico Espanol de Tratamiento Oncologico Group, Griffiths G, Hall R, Sylvester R, Raghavan D, Parmar MK (2011) International phase III trial assessing neoadjuvant cisplatin, methotrexate, and vinblastine chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: long-term results of the BA06 30894 trial. J Clin Oncol 29(16):2171–2177
Logothetis CJ, Johnson DE, Chong C, Dexeus FH, Sella A, Ogden S et al (1988) Adjuvant cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, and cisplatin chemotherapy for bladder cancer: an update. J Clin Oncol 6(10):1590–1596
Skinner DG, Daniels JR, Russell CA, Lieskovsky G, Boyd SD, Nichols P et al (1991) The role of adjuvant chemotherapy following cystectomy for invasive bladder cancer: a prospective comparative trial. J Urol 145(3):459–464
Stöckle M, Meyenburg W, Wellek S, Voges G, Gertenbach U, Thüroff JW et al (1992) Advanced bladder cancer (stages pT3b, pT4a, pN1 and pN2): improved survival after radical cystectomy and 3 adjuvant cycles of chemotherapy. Results of a controlled prospective study. J Urol 148(2 Pt 1):302–306
Stöckle M, Meyenburg W, Wellek S, Voges GE, Rossmann M, Gertenbach U et al (1995) Adjuvant polychemotherapy of nonorgan-confined bladder cancer after radical cystectomy revisited: long-term results of a controlled prospective study and further clinical experience. J Urol 153(1):47–52
Studer UE, Bacchi M, Biedermann C, Jaeger P, Kraft R, Mazzucchelli L et al (1994) Adjuvant cisplatin chemotherapy following cystectomy for bladder cancer: results of a prospective randomized trial. J Urol 152(1):81–84
Bono AV, Benvenuti C, Gibba A (1997) Adjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced bladder cancer. Final analysis of a controlled multicentre study. Acta Urol Ital 11:5–8
Freiha F, Reese J, Torti FM (1996) A randomized trial of radical cystectomy versus radical cystectomy plus cisplatin, vinblastine and methotrexate chemotherapy for muscle invasive bladder cancer. J Urol 155(2):495–499
Otto T, Bo¨rgemann C, Krege S (2001) Adjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced bladder cancer (PT3/PN1–2, M0)-a phase III study. Eur Urol 39(Suppl 5):147
Cognetti F, Ruggeri EM, Felici A, Gallucci M, Muto G, Pollera CF, et al. (2008) On behalf of the Study Group Adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) with cisplatin + gemcitabine (CG) versus chemotherapy (CT) at relapse (CR) in patients (pts) with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) submitted to radical cystectomy (RC). An Italian multicenter randomised phase III trial. J Clin Oncol 26 (abstract 5023)
Paz-Ares LG, Solsona E, Esteban E, Saez A, Gonzalez-Larriba J, Anton A, et al. (2010) Randomized phase III trial comparing adjuvant paclitaxel/gemcitabine/cisplatin (PGC) to observation in patients with resected invasive bladder cancer: Results of the Spanish Oncology Genitourinary Group (SOGUG) 99/01 study. J Clin Oncol 28 (abstract LBA4518)
Advanced Bladder Cancer (ABC) Meta-analysis Collaboration (2005) Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in invasive bladder cancer: update of a systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data advanced bladder cancer (ABC) meta-analysis collaboration. Eur Urol 48:202–206
Stenzl A, Cowan NC, de Santis M, Kuczyk MA, Merseburger AS, Ribal MJ et al (2011) Treatment of muscle-invasive and metastatic bladder cancer: update of the EAU guidelines. Eur Urol 59(6):1009–1018
Acknowledgments
Mohammed Ismaili from the Department of Microbiology, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes, Morocco.
Conflict of interest
The authors have declared no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ismaili, N., Elmajjaoui, S., Bensouda, Y. et al. Neoadjuvant or adjuvant chemotherapy: what is the best treatment of muscle invasive bladder cancer?. Oncol Rev 5, 185–189 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12156-011-0085-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12156-011-0085-0