RESULTS
Diagnosis and staging in NMIBC
The goal of cancer screening is to provide an early diagnosis with the aim of achieving
higher odds for cure. Screening tests should be cost-effective and accurate with high
sensitivity and specificity, causing minimum harm and providing the best benefit.
There is no standard screening test for urothelial bladder carcinoma, and therefore,
routine screening should not be performed (consensus, LE: 5 GR: D). Most bladder cancer
(BCa) cases are symptomatic; asymptomatic random findings being very rare, with only
2% of the general incidence.[15],[16] Screening could be evaluated in selected high-risk patients;[17] however, there is still not enough evidence for this to be recommended as daily
practice.
In patients with a suspicion of BCa, evaluation with white light cystoscopy (WLC)
is indicated, since it is considered the gold standard approach for BCa diagnosis
and monitoring, especially for papillary lesions.[18] However, cystoscopy is an invasive, costly, and time- consuming procedure that causes
discomfort and pain for the patient,[19] since flexible cystoscopies are not widely available in Brazil due to prohibitive
costs. Therefore, in cases of suspected bladder lesions already seen on previous imaging
examination, cystoscopy might be omitted, being used as necessary in the minority
of cases prior to transurethral resection (TUR) where lesions had already been seen
on previous imaging examination (consensus, LE: 5 GR: D). WLC is the most commonly
used technique, despite limitations such as being unable to identify flat lesions,
CIS or small papilloma.
Technologies such as narrow-band imaging or fluorescent cystoscopy should be used,
if available, during the endoscopic evaluation of lesions in most cases (recommendation,
LE: 1a GR: A), as they can improve tumor detection,[20]
[21]
[22] with a 90% detection rate for CIS[23] and a higher sensitivity compared to WLC.[20],[24] A better visualization results in a more complete resection, reducing the residual
tumor rate[25] and recurrence[20], and potentially improving recurrence-free survival (RFS).[26] Positive cytology and negative standard cystoscopy are a good indication for these
new, yet more expensive and expendable, technologies. The upper urinary tract (UUT)
should also always be evaluated in cases of positive cytology and negative standard
cystoscopy (consensus, LE: 5 GR: D). UUT carcinoma is less frequent than UBC and usually
presents as asymptomatic hematuria.[27] The investigation should be performed by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) and ureteroscopy (consensus, LE: 4 GR: C) because normal ultrasonography
cannot rule out a diagnosis.[28],[29] CT urography has higher sensitivity, specificity, and detection rate accuracy of
UUT carcinomas than intravenous urography.[30] MRI also has substantial sensitivity, specificity, and detection rate accuracy,[31] but is mostly preferred in patients for whom CT is contraindicated, including an
allergy to iodinated contrast agents or renal insufficiency.[32] In patients with bladder tumors demonstrated by cystoscopy, imaging (CT or MRI)
before TUR should be indicated only in those patients with high-grade tumors or suspicion
of muscle layer invasion (consensus, LE: 5 GR: D).[9]
CIS is a non-muscle-invasive, high-grade tumor with a high-risk of recurrence and
progression, corresponding to 10% of NMIBC cases.[33] In cases of suspected CIS, random cold-cup biopsies should be performed, sampling
the trigone, bladder dome, right, left, anterior and posterior bladder wall (consensus,
LE: 1b GR: A) because CIS is usually a flat, multifocal tumor that can be macroscopically
indistinguishable from normal mucosa.[34],[35] Random biopsies in suspected patients have shown a diagnosis of CIS in up to 25%
of the population.[36],[37]
Non-urothelial bladder carcinoma corresponds to less than 5% of bladder cancer cases[38] and should be considered high-risk tumors (consensus, LE: 2b GR: B). In general,
non-urothelial BCa is associated with lower survival rates when compared to UC, with
median survival ranging from 17 months to 179 months, depending on the histology,
and 5-year survival rates from 31 to 58%.[39]
Transurethral resection of the bladder
Transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) is the standard procedure for treating
and diagnosing NMIBC. It consists of removing all visible tumors, including the apparently
normal mucosa of the border, and resection of the muscle layer at the base of the
tumor.[40] The quality of the TURBT results in a decrease in the tumor recurrence rate.[41],[42] The presence of the muscular layer in a TURBT specimen is of utmost importance for
the diagnosis, staging, and management of the disease. The presence of muscle in the
initial specimen is associated with lower recurrence rates compared to TURBT without
muscle,[43] and it should always be present in the TURBT specimen; otherwise, a second TURBT
will be necessary[44] (consensus, LE: 1b GR: A). Sampling of the prostatic urethra leads to the detection
of the involvement of the prostate as a result of the bladder cancer ascending through
the prostatic urethra and the prostatic ducts/acini, which is related to higher urethral
recurrence[45] and lower survival rate.[46] This sampling should be performed in the presence of CIS, in cases of tumors affecting
the bladder neck and trigone, in the presence of multiple tumors or following positive
cytology[47],[48] (consensus, LE: 1b GR: A).
Advanced age is one of the most important risk factors for bladder cancer; thus, it
is not unusual to have patients with concomitant prostate hyperplasia. TUR of the
prostate can be performed simultaneously with bladder tumor resection in most cases
(recommendation, LE: 2a GR: B), as it does not interfere in overall tumor recurrence
or recurrence in the bladder neck/prostatic fossa.[49],[50]
TURBT must be repeated in cases where complete resection of the lesion was not feasible
in the initial procedure (consensus, LE: 2b GR: A) and when the detrusor muscle was
not present in the initial TURBT specimen in order to perform correct staging and
decrease the recurrence risk[43],[44] (consensus, LE: 1b GR: A), except in cases of TaLG/G1 tumors and primary CIS. Incomplete
resection is one of the mechanisms of early tumor recurrence,[10] usually detected in the first three months after the initial TURBT.[12] Repeating TURBT (re- TURBT) removes the persistent tumor, confirms staging, and
improves prognosis.[10]
A second endoscopic resection (re-TURBT) is indicated in high-grade cases, (consensus,
LE: 4 GR: C), as the rate of recurrence of the remaining tumor from the first TURBT
is reported to be up to 75%,[51] in cases of invasion of the lamina propria (consensus, LE: 1b GR: A), reducing the
recurrence rate and progression,[52] and in cases with lymphovascular invasion in the specimen from the first surgery
(consensus, LE: 2b GR: B), because these findings are related to a worse prognosis,
with a high recurrence rate and low RFS.[53],[54] Moreover, re-TURBT must not be delayed; it should be performed 1 to 6 weeks after
the initial TURBT.[11]
TURBT can be replaced by fulguration (without sample removal) in most cases of small
low-grade lesions (consensus, LE: 2b GR: B), and this practice is accepted without
restraint, as it has been shown to be feasible, safe, and cost-effective.[55]
[56]
[57]
Intravesical therapy
During the consensus, the panel used a practical definition for risk stratification
proposed by the International Bladder Cancer Group, which divides cases into low-,
intermediate-, and high-risk diseases based on the risk of recurrence and disease
progression.[58] Low-risk cases are comprised of a single lesion, pTa and low-grade tumors. Intermediate
risk cases are recurrent or multiple low-grade pTa tumors. High-risk patients are
those presenting with pT1 or high-grade tumors with or without CIS.
The indicated treatment in patients with low-risk, non-muscle-invasive disease after
initial TURBT is single, immediate instillation of intravesical chemotherapy (IVC)
(consensus, LE: 1a GR: A), except for those patients with bladder perforation after
TURBT. Three meta-analyses with more than 2,000 patients each showed that a single
dose of IVC is superior to resection only in NMIBC, as it prevents recurrence in up
to 38% of cases and might decrease the 5-year recurrence rate in approximately 10%.[59]
[60]
[61] In patients with an indication for a single instillation of IVC, the best drug to
be administered is mitomycin C or gemcitabine (consensus, LE: 1b GR: A). Randomized
studies have shown benefits for both medications,[62],[63] but there is no robust evidence supporting the superiority of either one. Unfortunately,
mitomycin C is not widely available in Brazil; therefore, gemcitabine is the most
recommended. Studies with gemcitabine have shown a substantial 12% reduction in recurrence
rate, but no difference in progression compared to placebo,[61] and a safer profile compared to mitomycin C.[64]
The treatment indicated in patients with intermediate-risk and high-risk non-muscle-
invasive disease after initial TURBT is Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) (consensus,
LE: 1a GR: A). Intravesical BCG is considered first-line therapy, especially in high-risk
patients, showing a significant reduction of tumor recurrence and progression, and
improved disease- specific survival, superior to those of TURBT alone and IVC.[65]
[66]
[67]
[68]
[69]
[70] Induction with BCG consists in 6 weekly treatments, and maintenance once a week
for three weeks, at months 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36.[71]
Patients with non-muscle-invasive intermediate- and high-risk disease with an indication
of intravesical therapy (IVT) with BCG should receive maintenance treatment with BCG
(consensus, LE: 1a GR: A). Maintenance with BCG downshifts and potentially reduces
progression risk, showing significantly lower recurrence than mitomycin C alone, intravesical
epirubicin alone or a combination of epirubicin and interferon in intermediate- and
high-risk patients.[65]
[66]
[67]
[68],[72]
[73]
[74]
[75]
Maintenance should be used for one year in intermediate-risk patients (consensus,
LE: 1a GR: A) because BCG maintenance is superior to mitomycin C in progression prevention
only if it is used in this manner.[76] High-risk patients require three years of maintenance (consensus, LE: 1b GR: A)
to significantly decrease tumor recurrence rate and progression and mortality.[71],[77]
[78]
[79]
The appropriate dose of BCG (strain Moreau, Rio de Janeiro) to be administered is
80mg or its equivalent (consensus, LE: 5 GR: D), which is the full dose. A retrospective
analysis comparing the TICE and Moreau strains did not show any difference in recurrence
or progression to MIBC between the treatments.[80] Dose reduction is appropriate in most selected cases for patients treated with BCG
in order to reduce side effects (recommendation, LE: 1b GR: A), as a one-third dose
is as effective as the full dose in intermediate- and high- risk patients - but inferior
in patients with multifocal tumors - with a lower toxicity.[81],[82]
In the absence of BCG, in patients with intermediate-risk and high-risk disease, the
best treatment option is IVC (consensus, LE: 1a GR: A) with maintenance therapy (consensus,
LE: 1b GR: A). Mitomycin C was shown to be efficient in decreasing recurrence and
progression; however, it is inferior to BCG.[66] Chemohyperthermia with mitomycin C offers additional benefits with a higher rate
of reduction in recurrence compared to mitomycin alone.[83] Intravesical gemcitabine shows comparable results with BCG in intermediate-risk
patients but a higher recurrence rate in high-risk patients.[84],[85] Evidence of maintenance therapy with IVC is still not clear. Individual randomized
trials have shown a decrease in recurrence rates.[86]
[87]
[88] However, the results from other studies and meta-analyses did not demonstrate improvement
in recurrence, progression, or survival.[89]
[90]
[91] Maintenance with IVC should be used for up to one year for intermediate-risk patients
(consensus, LE: 1b GR: A), with the aim of increasing disease-free survival (DFS),[92] and for three years for high-risk patients (recommendation, LE: 5 GR: D).
Follow-up NMIBC
Regardless of the risk group, a follow-up cystoscopy is indicated 3-4 months after
the initial TUR (with or without adjuvant BCG) in NMIBC patients (consensus, LE: 2b
GR: B). The importance of follow-up is to detect recurrence and/or progression as
early as possible. Recurrence at 3 months is considered the main prognostic factor.[93] Low-grade tumors present a 50% recurrence rate[94] and high-grade tumors a 1540% progression rate.[95]
The evaluation of the UUT should be performed only in high-risk patients (recommendation,
LE: 4 GR: C) and annually for up to 5 years (recommendation, LE: 4 GR: C), as the
chance of developing upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) after bladder cancer
is approximately 5%.[96]
Urinary cytology has a role in NMIBC follow-up in cases of high-risk tumors (recommendation,
LE: 3a GR: B), as cytology has lower sensitivity in lowgrade tumors.[97]
In cases of urothelial CIS, we indicated performing random vesical biopsies during
follow-up cystoscopy (recommendation, LE: 4 GR: C) because CIS can be difficult to
visualize. Moreover, CIS is a high-risk tumor, and random biopsies increase the chance
of diagnosis.[34]
[35]
[36]
[37]
The panel does not routinely recommend, in clinical practice (outside of research
protocols), any type of urinary molecular biomarkers (e.g., FISH, NMP22) in NMIBC
follow- up (recommendation, LE: 3a GR: B). Although it seems very promising data,
the cost- effectiveness of these markers is still limited.[97]
Failure after BCG
BCG response is an important prognostic factor. Approximately 40% of patients will
not respond to BCG,([98]) of which 60% will progress to invasive disease.[90],[100] Non-responder patients are classified as follows: refractory/unresponsive, with
persistent highgrade disease despite 6 months of adequate therapy (induction and maintenance
cycle), or any stage or grade progression within 3 months after the first cycle of
BCG or recurring for up to 6 months; recurrent, with recurrent high-grade disease
after 6 months of response with adequate therapy; and intolerant, with persistent
disease due to the impossibility of adequate therapy because of high toxicity.[101],[102]
In high-risk patients with refractoriness/unresponsiveness to IVT with BCG, the best-
recommended treatment is radical cystectomy (RC) (consensus, LE: 2b GR: B). Patients
who failed first-line BCG therapy should not be re-exposed to BCG unless unfit or
unwilling to undergo cystectomy. In these cases, the standard of care is radical cystectomy.[103],[104] There is some evidence for successful IVC treatment in patients with refractory/non-responsive
disease, but no study has yet compared IVC to cystectomy. Valrubicin for BCG-refractory
CIS shows 21% complete response and an 87.7% recurrence rate.[105] Treatment with intravesical gemcitabine in these cases provides only 20% RFS in
one year.[106] Intravenous immunotherapy with pembrolizumab showed 28% complete response at the
time of last follow-up (14 months) in patients with BCG-unresponsive disease associated
with CIS and its indication was recently approved in this scenario. This data was
not available at the time of the consensus meeting.
In patients with recurrent disease after complete response following IVT with BCG,
the best recommended treatment is BCG re-exposure (consensus, LE: 2b GR: B), with
full dose induction and maintenance (consensus, LE: 2b GR: B) if the recurrence occurred
at least 1 year following the last BCG cycle, as the previous treatment does not preclude
the new course of BCG showing similar cancer-free rates between retreatment and first
treatment.[107] Re- exposure to BCG shows significant recurrence-free and progression-free survival[108] and a high rate of complete response.[109] Patients who recurred after BCG treatment have a 20% chance of responding to BCG
again.[110] If the recurrence occurred up to 1 year following the initial treatment, the ideal
treatment is cystectomy. In patients not eligible for or not willing to undergo RC,
the option is IVC. High-risk patients should be treated with RC;[111] if the patient is not eligible or the treatment is rejected by the patient, inclusion
in clinical studies or other IVC could be considered.
In patients with BCG therapy failure due to intolerance or lack of suitability for
RC, the best recommended treatment is IVC (consensus, LE: 5 GR: D) because it has
a better safety profile despite its inferior results.[73]
Failure after IVC
In patients with low-grade (recurrent or otherwise) disease, and patients who progressed
to high-grade disease after IVC (single dose post-TUR), the best-recommended treatment
is new resection and intravesical BCG induction and maintenance (consensus, LE: 1a
GR: A). Low-grade patients with recurrence are considered intermediate-risk, and those
with progression, high-risk. For both situations, patients should undergo TUR and
be treated with intravesical BCG, as it has been shown to be superior to chemotherapy
when administered with maintenance, presenting a 32% decrease in recurrence and a
34% decrease in progression rate in patients.[66],[73]
In patients with pre-existing high-grade disease, those currently with recurrent (low
grade) or for those who recurred but maintained high-grade disease after IVC (induction
and maintenance), the best-recommended treatment is new resection and intravesical
BCG - induction and maintenance (consensus, LE: 1a GR: A). For intermediate- and high-risk
patients, the recommended first-line treatment is BCG with induction and maintenance
after TUR. If for any reason they were treated with IVC, which shows inferior results,[66],[73] at recurrence they should receive BCG because it is the most optimal treatment.
RC in NMIBC
RC is the standard treatment for MIBC.[112] In NMIBC, RC should be indicated as a therapeutic option in patients with high-risk
Ta, T1, and CIS based on the substantial risks of recurrence and progression to muscle-invasive
disease. It can be performed after NMIBC diagnosis or after BCG failure, depending
on the aggressiveness of the disease.[113] CIS is a highgrade disease with a risk of progression occurring in up to 53% of
patients.[114] Isolated CIS can positively respond to BCG therapy[115] and RC. [116] RC is indicated for high-risk non-responsive/refractory patients or those intolerant
to intravesical therapy, with isolated CIS or without associated CIS (consensus, LE:
2b GR: B), particularly for those who recurred early. Surgery must be performed within
2 years because DSS is directly related to the delay of RC.[104],[117] Cystectomy should be considered in cases with associated CIS after staging-TUR or
after refractory or intolerance of BCG (recommendation, LE: 2b GR: B), as it shows
high cancer-specific survival, up to 92% in 10 years follow-up.[118] High-risk patients without CIS but presenting lymphovascular invasion with T1 disease,
a histological variant, T1 disease on repeat TUR, or high-volume multifocal high-grade
disease are also candidates for RC after TUR.[119]
RC in MIBC
RC with lymphadenectomy is the standard treatment for MIBC without distant metastasis,
with up to 60% rate of cure for pT3 disease and 30% in pT4 or low-volume lymph node-positive
pN1,[112] providing the highest rates of cure and lowest risk of recurrence.[120]
[121]
[122] RC is a complex surgery; the expertise of the medical team should always be considered
in the RC indication and urinary diversion (UD) technique decision. For this reason,
preference should be given to centers with large surgical volumes and an uro-oncological
team, as the literature shows the benefit of centralized care for UBC, demonstrating
better OS at high- volume centers, with lower positive surgical margins123,[124]
[125] (consensus, LE: 2a GR: B). Furthermore, RC is associated with important hospitalization
costs and significant in-hospital mortality,[126] imposing risks that could discourage professionals from performing the procedure,
especially on older patients with comorbidities, despite its potential benefits[127] and evidence that age should not be a factor for contraindication, as literature
shows acceptable complications and mortality rates of RC with UD in octogenarians.[128] The enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol is indicated in cases of RC
because it reduces the incidence of complications with lower bleeding and fewer readmissions,
reduces the hospital internment period by 10 days,[129] and does not increase costs[130] (consensus, LE: 2b GR: B).
Regarding the technique and extent of cystectomy in men, the removal of the bladder,
prostate, seminal vesicles, portions of the distal ureters, and regional lymph nodes
is indicated. Preservation of the prostate can be performed only in extremely selected
cases with the aim of achieving better functional results because sparing it is associated
with a 10 to 15% higher oncological failure rate.[131] RC in women should include the removal of the bladder, uterus, adjacent vagina,
urethra, a portion of the distal ureters, and regional lymph nodes (consensus, LE:
5 GR: D).
Pelvic lymphadenectomy associated with RC has a potentially curative role[111] and reflects the quality of the surgery. Lymph node involvement is related to a
higher recurrence of BCa and a shorter OS;[112] therefore, it is used for staging, prognosis, and influencing subsequent therapy,
e.g., the use of adjuvant therapy[132] (consensus, LE: 2b GR: B). The standard lymphadenectomy technique is preferentially
recommended, including removal of lymph nodes to the intersection of the ureters (recommendation,
LE: 5 GR: D), but there is no consensus for this practice. Extended lymphadenectomy
is widely used, as it removes a greater number of lymph nodes with the advantage of
identifying positive nodal involvement outside the standard technique area,[133],[134] but a comparative trial did not show significant difference in terms of mortality
and time to recurrence.[135]
Regarding the decision of UD type after an RC, each type of diversion has its advantage
and disadvantages. The decision should take into account the aspects of the disease,
the patient's clinical conditions such as renal failure, liver function impairments,
and bowel disorders, the surgeon's experience and the patient's preference (consensus,
LE: 5 GR: D). Two main forms of diversions are used after cystectomy: nonorthotopic
diversions (such as ureterocutaneostomy, ileal or colonic conduits, and continent
conduits) and orthotopic diversions (such as orthotopic neobladder) (consensus, LE:
5 GR: D). There is no evidence to support the superiority of orthotopic or continent
diversion over conduit diversion.[136] Orthotopic neobladder is the closest choice to the natural bladder's function, and
it seems to provide a better quality of life;[137] however, it should be contraindicated in patients presenting with tumors with urethral
invasion or positive urethral margins leading to urethrectomy (consensus, LE: 4 GR:
C). In those cases, heterotopic continent bladder replacement (pouch) could be an
option.[138] Patients undergoing orthotopic neobladder with urethral involvement have a 0.5 to
17% recurrence rate.[139]
[140]
[141]
[142] Therefore, after treatment with the curative intent for MIBC where the urethra has
not been resected, we recommend regular follow-up of this region with examination
defined on a per-case basis (recommendation, LE: 4 GR: C).
Short-term mortality rates show no difference among the types of urinary reconstruction
performed.[143],[144] Oncological outcomes, such as all-cause and cancer- specific mortality,[145] are also not impacted according to the type of UD chosen (consensus, LE: 2b GR:
B).
Most post cystectomy complications are related to UD, especially in patients with
American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores higher than 3.[146] Cutaneous ureterostomy (CU) should be offered to patients as a form of UD in selected
cases during intraoperative complications or clinical conditions (consensus, LE: 2b
GR: B). CU requires shorter operative and hospitalization times and less blood transfusion
compared to ileal conduit,[147],[148] enabling cystectomy in high-risk patients. However, long-term use of ureteral catheters
is advised to avoid stenosis.
In patients submitted to pelvic irradiation before cystectomy, as in bladder-sparing
treatment modality protocols, the decision of the type of UD has no interference (consensus,
LE: 5 GR: D). The basic principle of surgery is not to use irradiated tissue; however,
with new protocols, tissues are usually spared, allowing the performance of any type
of diversion. Radiotherapy cannot be considered a contraindication for UD, but there
has been no formal comparison made between UD types and radiotherapy protocols.[149] Prior pelvic radiotherapy does not increase complication rates of RC.[150] The part of the intestine to be used in the diversion will depend on the state of
the organs observed during surgery.[151]
Partial cystectomy can be attractive as a lower complexity procedure, with lower morbidity
compared to RC;[152],[153] however, it should be avoided in both non-muscle- invasive and muscle-invasive tumors
(consensus). Partial cystectomy should be an exception because it is associated with
a high recurrence rate.[154]
[155]
[156] Only in patients with T2 disease, with a solitary lesion in an area amenable to
wide resection, with clear margins. This refers to open or minimally invasive procedures
and not endoscopic resection. Some selected cases can be evaluated for partial cystectomy,
such as solitary tumors without associated CIS located in a position that is amenable
to wide excision.[152],[157]
After curative treatment of MIBC with bladder preservation (e.g., TMT, radiotherapy,
partial cystectomy or TURBT), the panel recommends regular cystoscopy in the follow-up
(consensus). These patients still present a higher recurrence rate compared to RC
and should receive life-long follow-up[158] (LE: 4 GR: C).
Preservation treatment in localized BCa
TMT is a strategy of preservation therapy for the bladder in MIBC, and it could be
considered an option in high-risk T1 for patients who failed BCG treatment, after
second line chemotherapy and for those patients not candidates for cystectomy. This
procedure consists of maximum TURBT followed by chemotherapy-associated radiotherapy
(consensus, LE: 1c GR: A). Complete response rate may be achieved by 50 to 70% of
patients treated with TMT,[159]
[160]
[161]
[162] the 5-year OS by 57% of patients and the 10-year OS by 36% of patients.[162]
Re-TURBT is not mandatory, but it is the recommendation of this panel to confirm maximum
resection (recommendation, LE: 4 GR: C), which is one of the most important prognostic
factors affecting OS in TMT.[163]
TMT is considered in selected cases of localized BCa and should be recommended according
to the patient's preference but is unfit for patients due to age[164] or comorbidities (consensus, LE: 2b GR: B), as RC involves risks and might impact
quality of life. The ideal patient for multimodal therapy is as follows: T2, single
tumor, with a favorable location that can undergo maximum resection in TUR, without
CIS, without hydronephrosis, with urothelial histology, with tumors smaller than 5cm
and good bladder function (consensus, LE: 2b GR: B), in which the treatment will provide
significant benefit([165]) with comparable 5- and 10-year OS rates to RC with lymphadenectomy.[163],[165]
[166]
[167]
[168]
[169] TMT in primary or recurrent high-risk T1 bladder-cancer patients provides better
5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) compared to only radiotherapy.[170] In a small case series of 18 NMIBC patients ith recurrent and progressive disease,
TMT provided a 7-year DSS for 70% and OS for 58% of patients.[171] This consensus did not include voting on follow-up recommendations for patients
treated with TMT.
CIS, multifocality, hydronephrosis, and/or T3/T4 are contraindications for multimodal
treatment with intention of bladder preservation (recommendation, LE: 4 GR: C). However,
patients with T3/T4 are not absolute contraindications; they present inferior results
compared to patients with T2 or lower, [168] but we should consider that RC in those patients does not offer important oncological
outcomes either. The results for T3b-T4 or N+ and M0 patients treated with TMT show
30% OS,[172] making it an alternative for those not eligible for surgery. Patients with hydronephrosis
present a worse complete response rate but no difference in OS compared to patients
without hydronephrosis.[168]
We recommend a complete tumoricidal dose of radiotherapy (55-66Gy) in the preservation
therapy (consensus, LE: 2a GR: B), including the irradiation of pelvic lymphatic drainage
(consensus, LE: 2a GR: B), targeting occult pelvic lymph node involvement.([173]) Patients with clinical contraindication to or not willing to undergo RC should
receive a full- dose, straight course of radiotherapy.[174],[175] Split-course radiotherapy (induction with a dose of 40-46Gy, revaluation with cystoscopy
and an additional 20-26Gy in the absence of neoplasia) was not the preferred treatment
scheme in this consensus,[176] as 40Gy is a subclinical dose, maximum tumor response may take up to three months,
and the absence of response before this period does not conclude ineffectiveness.
Considering the complete dose and evaluation versus split dose and evaluation, there is some evidence that the first offers better outcomes,
with less salvage cystectomy rates, better complete response rates, and better overall
survival.[168] Nonetheless, in the discussion held by the consensus, it was considered that split
course treatment could be offered as an alternative at the physician's discretion.
Treatment of locally advanced BCa encompasses neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by
RC. In general, there is no indication for adjuvant radiotherapy in bladder cancer
(recommendation, LE: 4 GR: C), except for patients presenting with pT3-pT4N+ with
positive margins, where adjuvant radiotherapy could provide improvement in OS,[177]
[178]
[179] and for non-urothelial bladder tumors, with 78% of local-regional control.[180] The recommendations for systemic chemotherapy were discussed in a separate manuscript.
When there is an indication of radical radiotherapy (with or without chemotherapy)
or adjuvant, the ideal technique for radiation dose administration is intensity-modulated
radiation (IMRT) and image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) (consensus, LE: 5 GR: D) because
these two techniques complement each other, as IGRT helps with accurately targeting,
and together the two therapies limit the high dose regions to the targets, sparing
normal tissue.[181] The minimally acceptable technique is conformal radiotherapy (RT3D), which can be
used with IGRT (recommendation, LE: 5 GR: D).
