Bladder preservation in urothelial carcinoma: current trends and future directions

• Published in: Current opinion in supportive & palliative care Vol. 15; no. 4; p. 253
• Main Authors: Goodstein, Taylor, Wang, Shang-Jui, Lee, Cheryl T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.12.2021
• Subjects: Carcinoma, Transitional Cell; Cystectomy; Humans; Neoplasm Invasiveness; Quality of Life; Treatment Outcome; Urinary Bladder; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms - surgery
• ISSN: 1751-4266
• DOI: 10.1097/SPC.0000000000000579

To provide a contemporary rationale for bladder preservation as a treatment strategy for muscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. Although the standard of care for this important and serious clinical condition has been radical cystectomy augmented with neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy, it is associated with substantial morbidity and quality of life (QoL) implications. This article explores the bladder sparing alternatives to radical cystectomy and urinary diversion to assist Urologists, Medical Oncologists, and Palliative Care providers in their informed decision making with patients. Bladder sparing strategies such as partial cystectomy and trimodality therapy offer long-term cancer outcomes comparable to radical cystectomy in carefully selected patients. Moreover, the toxicity profile in patients, having improved over time, is acceptable, including a low risk of salvage cystectomy. Bladder preservation therapy offers an alternative to radical cystectomy. In some patients, it can be done with curative intent and in others it can assist with symptom palliation. Bladder preservation can maintain QoL and provide similar oncologic outcomes to radical surgery, although randomized controlled trials have not been performed. Understanding patient selection is a critical step in balancing bladder preservation and cancer survival.