Four versus 3 Cycles of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Implications for Pathological Response and Survival

Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy Followed by Radical Cystectomy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Analysis of Efficacy and Safety in 119 Patients

INTRODUCTION

Cisplatin-based systemic chemotherapy is recommended as neoadjuvant treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) before radical cystectomy (RC). However, clinical challenges include the possibility of primary chemoresistance and limited feasibility in patients with renal impairment. This study investigated the efficacy and safety profiles of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) followed by RC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed 119 patients with nonmetastatic MIBC, who were pathologically diagnosed with urothelial carcinoma and underwent NCRT before RC. The pathological response to NCRT was evaluated using RC specimens. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS) were compared according to pathological responses to NCRT.

RESULTS

Of the 119 patients, 111 (93%) underwent RC; ypT0 and downstaging to ≤ypT1 were observed in 42 (38%) and 76 (68%) patients, respectively. In the multivariable analysis, smaller tumor size was independently associated with ypT0. During a median follow-up of 5.2 years, 28 (25%) patients developed recurrence and 22 (20%) died of bladder cancer after RC. The 5-year RFS and CSS rates were 75% and 80%, respectively. The 5-year RFS rates in patients with ypT0, ypTa/is/1, and ≥ypT2 were 87%, 87%, and 46%, respectively. Similarly, patients with ypT0 and ypTa/is/1 had more favorable CSS (90% and 87% at 5 years, respectively) than those with ≥ypT2 (60%, P = .001). None of the patients experienced ≥grade 4 adverse events related to NCRT or ≥grade 4 complications of RC.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated sufficient efficacy and safety profile of NCRT followed by RC. Chemoradiotherapy may be a helpful alternative for neoadjuvant treatment before RC.

The optimal number of induction chemotherapy cycles in clinically lymph node-positive bladder cancer

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the optimal number of induction chemotherapy cycles needed to achieve a pathological response in patients with clinically lymph node-positive (cN+) bladder cancer (BCa) who received three or four cycles of induction chemotherapy followed by consolidative radical cystectomy (RC) with pelvic lymph node dissection.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We included 388 patients who received three or four cycles of cisplatin/gemcitabine or (dose-dense) methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin (MVAC), followed by consolidative RC for cTanyN1-3M0 BCa. We compared pathological complete (pCR = ypT0N0) and objective response (pOR = yp ≤T1N0) between treatment groups. Predictors of pCR and/or pOR were assessed using uni- and multivariable logistic regression analysis. The secondary endpoints were overall (OS) and cancer-specific survival (CSS). We evaluated the association between the number of induction chemotherapy cycles administered and survival outcomes on multivariable Cox regression.

RESULTS

Overall, 101 and 287 patients received three or four cycles of induction chemotherapy, respectively. Of these, 72 (19%) and 128 (33%) achieved pCR and pOR response, respectively. The pCR (20%, 18%) and pOR (40%, 31%) rates did not differ significantly between patients receiving three or four cycles (P > 0.05). The number of cycles was not associated with pCR or pOR on multivariable logistic regression analyses. The 2-year OS estimates were 63% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.53-0.74) and 63% (95% CI 0.58-0.7) for patients receiving three or four cycles, respectively. Receiving three vs four cycles was not associated with OS and CSS on uni- or multivariable Cox regression analyses.

CONCLUSION

Pathological response and survival outcomes did not differ between administering three or four induction chemotherapy cycles in patients with cN+ BCa. A fewer cycles (minimum three) may be oncologically sufficient in patients with cN+ BCa, while decreasing the wait for definitive local therapy in those patients who end up without a response to chemotherapy. This warrants further validation.

Three versus four cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

The optimal cycle of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) remains controversial. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of three and four cycles of NAC in the treatment of MIBC through a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Relevant studies were systematically collected and reviewed in PubMed, Medline, Embase, Web of Science Databases, and the Cochrane Library. Relative ratios (RRs), Hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to estimate outcome measures. Studies comparing the pathological response and prognosis of three versus four cycles of NAC for MIBC were included.

RESULTS

Five studies were included in this meta-analysis, including 2190 patients, of whom 1016 underwent three cycles of NAC and 1174 underwent four cycles of NAC. All studies were retrospective cohort studies. We found that 4 cycles of NAC had significantly better cancer-specific survival than 3 cycles (HR = 1.31, 95%CI,1.03-1.67, p = 0.029). There was no significant difference in overall survival between patients who received 3 and 4 cycles of chemotherapy (HR = 1.18, 95%CI = 0.83-1.69, p = 0.345). Similarly, no significant difference was observed in pathological objective response (RR = 0.95, 95%CI= 0.81-1.11, p = 0.515) and complete response rates (RR = 0.87, 95%CI = 0.69-1.11, p = 0.256) in MIBC after 3 or 4 cycles of NAC.

CONCLUSIONS

Three and four cycles of NAC had similar pathological responses and prognosis for MIBC, although the cancer-specific survival rate of four cycles was better than that of three cycles.

Comparison of 3 and 4 cycles of neoadjuvant gemcitabine and cisplatin for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

In muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) combined with radical cystectomy (RC) is critical in reducing disease recurrence, with GC (gemcitabine and cisplatin) being one of the most commonly used NACs. Different GC schedules have been used, but the best neoadjuvant regimen is still unknown. The clinical outcomes of 3 and 4 cycles of neoadjuvant GC are compared in this systematic review and meta-analysis to determine which is best for patients with MIBC.

METHODS

We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, CBM, CNKI, WAN FANG DATA, and meeting abstracts to identify relevant studies up to March 2023. Studies that compared 3 and 4 cycles of neoadjuvant GC for MIBC were included. The primary outcomes were pCR, pDS, OS, and CSS. The secondary outcome was recurrence and SAEs.

RESULTS

A total of 3 studies, with 1091 patients, were included in the final analysis. Patients that received 4 cycles of GC had a higher pCR (OR = 0.66; 95% CI, 0.50-0.87; p = 0.003) and pDS (OR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.48-0.84; p = 0.002) than those who received 3 cycles. Regarding recurrence rate (OR = 1.23; 95% CI, 0.91-1.65; p = 0.18), there were no appreciable differences between the 3 and 4 cycles of GC. Survival parameters such as OS (HR, 1.35; 95% CI, 0.86-2.12; p = 0.19) and CSS (HR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.82-1.38; p = 0.20) were similar. Only one trial reported on the outcomes of SAEs. And there were no statistically significant differences in thrombocytopenia, infection rate, neutropenic fever, anemia, or decreased renal function between patients. The neutropenia of patients was statistically different (OR = 0.72; 95% CI, 0.52-0.99; p = 0.04).

CONCLUSION

The 4-cycle GC regimen was superior to the 3-cycle regimen in only the pCR and pDS results. Survival and recurrence rates were similar between the two regimens. In both treatment regimes, the toxicity profile was manageable. However, due to the inherent drawbacks of retrospective research, this should be regarded with caution.

Neoadjuvant immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and combination therapy in muscle-invasive bladder cancer: A multi-center real-world retrospective study

To parallelly compare the efficacy of neoadjuvant immunotherapy (tislelizumab), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (gemcitabine and cisplatin), and neoadjuvant combination therapy (tislelizumab + GC) in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) and explore the efficacy predictors, we perform a multi-center, real-world cohort study that enrolls 253 patients treated with neoadjuvant treatments (combination therapy: 98, chemotherapy: 107, and immunotherapy: 48) from 15 tertiary hospitals. We demonstrate that neoadjuvant combination therapy achieves the highest complete response rate and pathological downstaging rate compared with neoadjuvant immunotherapy or chemotherapy. We develop and validate an efficacy prediction model consisting of pretreatment clinical characteristics, which can pinpoint candidates to receive neoadjuvant combination therapy. We also preliminarily reveal that patients who achieve pathological complete response after neoadjuvant treatments plus maximal transurethral resection of the bladder tumor may be safe to receive bladder preservation therapy. Overall, this study highlights the benefit of neoadjuvant combination therapy based on tislelizumab for MIBC.