Bladder Cancer

Muscle-invasive bladder cancer is an aggressive and potentially lethal disease. Integration of multimodal therapies, improved surgical techniques, and utilization of targeted agents has tremendously improved outcomes.

Patient selection based on a much more comprehensive biologic assessment of both host and tumor is likely the key to further advances in the treatment of all bladder cancer patients. Until such time, there can be no compromise in the careful application of the rigorous therapy required to optimize outcomes.

Still missing in our treatment of bladder cancer are the tools to accurately predict response to a specific therapy, whether it be chemotherapy, radiation, or transurethral resection alone. Once we have these tools, we will be well on our way to applying a more intelligent, true personalized medicine approach to the treatment of this disease.

Wide variations in the care of early bladder cancer exist, and among high–treatment intensity urology providers, overall survival is unchanged while rates of transition to major surgery are actually increasing. It has been said that for bladder tumors, it is time for a paradigm shift. We believe that the time is overdue.

Bladder cancer is a complex neoplasm with multiple histologic subtypes and a wide spectrum of clinical states, ranging from relatively nonlethal Ta cancers to virulent M1 disease.

In this issue of ONCOLOGY, Kamat and Mathew provide an excellent overview of the current status and future imperatives of bladder cancer treatment and research.

Dapagliflozin, the experimental diabetes medication being developed by Bristol-Myers Squibb and AstraZeneca was found to raise the risk of both bladder and breast cancers. The data were presented at the American Diabetes Association Meeting in San Diego, Calif. at the end of June.

Adding chemotherapy to radiation therapy for muscle invasive bladder cancer may allow up to 67% of patients to be free of disease two years post-treatment, according to a study out of the UK. In addition, this treatment combination may offer a significant number of patients a better quality of life by avoiding surgery.

The review by Rampersaud and colleagues provides an excellent summary of the scientific rationale for using hyperthermia to treat cancer and of the current status of combinations of hyperthermia and chemotherapy or radiotherapy. In view of the demonstrated efficacy of the combination of intravescial hyperthermia and mitomycin C (MMC) therapy in preventing the progression and recurrence of non–muscle-invading bladder cancer (NMIBC) in several clinical trials, Rampersaud and colleagues advocate additional studies to further optimize the delivery of hyperthermia and to delineate its clinical utility in this disease.

Modern cancer care is characterized by a focus on organ-sparing multi-modal treatments. In the case of non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer this is particularly true; treatment is focused on reducing the frequency of low-risk recurrences and preventing high-risk progression. Deep regional hyperthermia is an oncologic therapeutic modality that can help achieve these two goals. The combination of hyperthermia with chemotherapy and radiotherapy has improved patient outcomes in several tumor types. In this review, we highlight the biology of therapeutic fever-range hyperthermia, discuss how hyperthermia is administered and dosed, demonstrate how heat can be added to other treatment regimens, and summarize the data supporting the role of hyperthermia in the management of bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer is the fourth most common cancer (excluding skin cancer) in the United States and ranks eighth as a cause of death from cancer among men; there will be an estimated 70,530 new cases and 14,680 cancer-related deaths in the United States in 2010.[1] Of new cases, 70% to 80% present with non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Despite endoscopic and intravesical treatments with curative intent, 50% to 70% of these cancers recur, usually within 5 years, and 10% to 30% progress to muscle-invasive disease, in the majority of cases as high-grade lesions.[2,3] Bladder cancer poses a significant economic burden due to the cost of the lifetime need for surveillance, the need to treat recurrent tumors, and the cost of complications associated with treatment. Medicare estimates have ranked bladder cancer treatment the seventh costliest among cancers, with a 5-year net cost of approximately one billion dollars.[4]

Extramedullary disease in plasma cell disorders can occur as a solitary plasmacytoma or can involve multiple sites with vastly different clinical outcomes. The article by Khaliq et al reports an unusual case of solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma (SEP) of the bladder in which the patient had a favorable outcome with lenalidomide/dexamethasone after failing first-line treatment with radiotherapy. In this context it is interesting to compare clinical outcomes of this entity to two other clinical variants of myeloma: solitary plasmacytoma of bone (SPB), and multiple myeloma with extramedullary plasmacytomas (MM/EP).

Plasmacytoma is a rare B-lymphocyte neoplastic disorder that usually presents as the generalized disease multiple myeloma. Less than 5% of the cases present as a solitary mass of monoclonal plasma cells in the bone or soft tissue. Although solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma (SEP) may arise in any organ, it rarely involves the urinary bladder. A 67-year-old male without a history of multiple myeloma presented with urinary frequency and nocturia; he was later diagnosed with SEP of the bladder. The patient was initially treated with a course of radiation therapy without symptomatic improvement; therefore a chemotherapy regimen consisting of lenalidomide and dexamethasone was subsequently given for six cycles. SEP usually carries a better prognosis and higher cure rate than solitary plasmacytoma of bone, as SEP is radiation sensitive. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy in the treatment of SEP that is resistant to radiation therapy is not clear, since most of the recommendations have been derived from the experience of head and neck SEP. The literature also lacks recommendations for choice of a chemotherapy regimen and surveillance of isolated bladder plasmacytoma. Here we present the first case of a radiation-resistant solitary plasmacytoma of the bladder that was successfully treated with lenalidomide and dexamethasone with successful clinical remission.

The authors on “Solitary Extramedullary Plasmacytoma of the Bladder” have provided a quick and accurate diagnosis, work-up, and treatment of this solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma. Solitary extramedullary plamacytomas are rare, and account for only 3% of all plasma cell malignancies. Of the 3% of plasma cell malignancies that are diagnosed, the bladder is one of the least common locations. The rarity of the tumor frequently makes the process of making a correct diagnosis difficult.[1] After making the diagnosis with immunohistochemistry, a bone marrow biopsy must be performed to rule out multiple myeloma. Additionally, a body and skeletal survey must show no evidence of additional disease or lytic lesions in order to confirm localized disease. In this case, these procedures were performed accurately and in a timely fashion.

Adding gemcitabine (Gemzar) to concurrent radiotherapy and cisplatinum in invasive bladder cancer could preserve the organ even when the tumor has invaded the muscle.

A 56-year-old woman was referred to our institution for a left nephroureterectomy after the diagnoses of a nonfunctioning left kidney and noninvasive papillary urothelial carcinoma of the distal left ureter (Ta grade 1). Following the procedure, surveillance cystoscopy and computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen and pelvis demonstrated a large bladder tumor with pan-urothelial extension.

Polymedco, Inc, announced the availability of the BTA Stat test-a point of care technology for the early detection of recurrent bladder cancer. This method uses monoclonal antibodies to detect the presence of bladder tumor–associated antigen in urine. It is a single-step, rapid immunochromatographic assay for bladder tumor-associated antigen in voided urine.

The patient is a 39-year-old man who presents with pelvic lymphadenopathy. He has a history of ureteral reflux disease, recurrent nephrolithiasis, right nephrectomy, ileal loop diversion of the left ureter, and radical cystectomy for “bladder cancer,” which he underwent 3 years ago. The lymphadenopathy was discovered incidentally during recent imaging.

Radiation therapy (RT) and immunotherapy of cancer both date back more than 100 years, and yet, because radiation was often considered immunosuppressive, there had been little enthusiasm for combining them until recently. Immunotherapy has an established role in the treatment of some cancers-superficial bladder cancer treated with bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), renal cell carcinoma and melanoma treated with interferon and interluekin (IL)-2 (Proleukin), and breast cancer and lymphoma treated with monoclonal antibodies such as trastuzumab (Herceptin) and rituximab (Rituxan), which partly function through antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity.

Along with various imaging modalities, serologic tumor markers such as CA 15-3 and CA 27.29 have been used for decades to monitor treatment response in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Despite the frequent use of these markers, they lack high sensitivity and specificity for breast cancer progression. The prognostic significance of these markers remains indeterminate because of the conflicting outcome of many clinical trials. The circulating tumor cell (CTC) test has recently been studied in clinical trials in patients with MBC. Some of the studies showed that high levels of CTCs are correlated with poor survival in MBC. An intergroup trial is underway to determine the implication of changing treatment based on the CTC level. This article will discuss the current data on these markers, with special emphasis on the CTC test. The potential clinical utility of these markers will also be discussed.

Eating a concentrated extract of freeze-dried broccoli sprouts might inhibit bladder cancer by delivering a protective factor right where the bladder is most at risk.

Occult distant micrometastasis at the time of radical cystectomy leads predominantly to distant failures in patients with locally advanced muscle-invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy enhances survival in patients with metastatic urothelial cancer. Studies evaluating adjuvant chemotherapy have been limited by inadequate statistical power. However, randomized clinical trials have demonstrated a survival benefit for neoadjvuant cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy, which should be considered a standard of care. In addition, neoadjuvant therapy may assist in the rapid development of novel systemic therapy regimens, since pathologic complete remission appears to be a powerful prognostic factor for long-term outcomes. Patients who are either unfit for or refuse radical cystectomy may benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without radiation to enable bladder preservation.

Occult distant micrometastasis at the time of radical cystectomy leads predominantly to distant failures in patients with locally advanced muscle-invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy enhances survival in patients with metastatic urothelial cancer. Studies evaluating adjuvant chemotherapy have been limited by inadequate statistical power. However, randomized clinical trials have demonstrated a survival benefit for neoadjvuant cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy, which should be considered a standard of care. In addition, neoadjuvant therapy may assist in the rapid development of novel systemic therapy regimens, since pathologic complete remission appears to be a powerful prognostic factor for long-term outcomes. Patients who are either unfit for or refuse radical cystectomy may benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without radiation to enable bladder preservation.

Occult distant micrometastasis at the time of radical cystectomy leads predominantly to distant failures in patients with locally advanced muscle-invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy enhances survival in patients with metastatic urothelial cancer. Studies evaluating adjuvant chemotherapy have been limited by inadequate statistical power. However, randomized clinical trials have demonstrated a survival benefit for neoadjvuant cisplatin-based combination chemotherapy, which should be considered a standard of care. In addition, neoadjuvant therapy may assist in the rapid development of novel systemic therapy regimens, since pathologic complete remission appears to be a powerful prognostic factor for long-term outcomes. Patients who are either unfit for or refuse radical cystectomy may benefit from neoadjuvant chemotherapy with or without radiation to enable bladder preservation.

Results from Oncolytics Biotech's phase I trial of Reolysin, its oncolytic reovirus, show stable disease in 7 of 32 patients with advanced or metastatic solid tumors refractory to standard therapy or for which no curative standard therapy exists. Dr. Timothy Yap of The Institute of Cancer Research, Sutton, UK, presented the study at the 18th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics