Tulium laser in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder with spread to the ostium of the ureter

Urothelial transitional cell cancer in developed countries is the 4th most common. In terms of frequency, it is outstripped only by prostate, breast, lung, and colorectal cancer. In the vast majority of cases, urothelial carcinoma develops in the bladder. It accounts for 90—95 % of all cases of transitional cell cancer of the urinary tract. Much less often, in 5—10 % have to deal with its localization in the upper urinary tract (in the calico-pelvic system or ureter). In 17 % of upper urinary tract cancers, bladder cancer is simultaneously diagnosed. The incidence of urothelial transitional cell cancer has increased over the past few decades as a result of improved diagnosis and improved survival of patients with this nosology. The use of modern, high-tech equipment for visualization and direct surgical intervention contributes to such results. The use of laser energy as the main tool for tissue dissection in endoscopic oncourology reveals the undeniable advantages of this method in comparison with the traditional electrosurgery.We present a clinical observation of the diagnosis and surgical treatment of urothelial bladder cancer with invasion of the ureter, performed by en-bloc tulium laser. An operation was performed-transurethral resection of a urothelial bladder tumor with invasion of the ureter, performed by en-bloc tulium laser. Intraoperatively, ureteropieloscopy was performed, and the tumor did not spread to the upper urinary tract beyond the intramural part of the ureter. Thanks to the precision of the action of the tulium laser on the tissue, not resection, but, in fact, dissection of the bladder wall, a high-quality macropreparation was obtained, which made it possible to establish a final diagnosis. Histological conclusion: from the bladder — non-invasive urothelial cancer G2-3; from the mouth of the left ureter — fragments of fibrous tissue lined with urothelium from atypia. 3 months after the operation — no recurrence of urothelial cancer was revealed, which indicates a high quality of the operation.This clinical observation demonstrates the superiority of laser en-bloc dissection compared to the treatment of bladder tumors. Obtaining a macro-product of urothelial transitional cell cancer of the highest quality can contribute to avoiding unjustified radical nephrureterectomies and conducting organ-preserving treatment, for absolute and elective indications. The 1.94 µm Tulium Erbium laser is an effective tool for performing minimally invasive transurethral interventions in non-invasive bladder cancer.

Randomized phase III study of gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC) versus dose dense methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin (DD-MVAC) in the perioperative setting for patients with locally advanced transitional cell cancer of the bladder: The French GETUG/AFU V05 VESPER trial.

TPS530 Background: Radical cystectomy remains the gold standard treatment for invasive non metastatic transitional cell cancer of the bladder. Perioperative chemotherapy (adjuvant ou neoadjuvant) has been developed to increase overall survival. However, the chemotherapy administration time and optimal chemotherapy regimen are not yet determined. As DD-MVAC has been shown to be associated with higher response rates in bladder metastatic disease, also a better efficacy can be suspected in the perioperative setting. Methods: We designed a randomized phase III study to compare the efficacy of GC and DD-MVAC in term of progression-free survival in patients for whom chemotherapy has been decided, before or after radical cystectomy (disease defined by a T2, T3 or T4a N0 M0 stadification for patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy or pT3 or pT4 or pN+ and M0 for patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy). Secondary endpoints include overall survival, side effects, response rate in the neoadjuvant setting. Main exclusion criteria were histological variants (pure adenocarcinoma or pure epidermoid carcinoma or pure or mixed small-cell neuro-endocrine carcinoma) and ventricular ejection fraction under 50%. The total number of patients projected was 500 based on the median progression-free survival rate of 50% at 3 years observed in patients treated with GC (standard arm A) in the perioperative setting. An absolute improvement of 10% (HR = 0.74) was expected with DD-MVAC (experimental arm B) with a = 0.05 and b = 0.20. In October 2017, 460 patients have been included. An interim analysis is planned after the occurrence of 174 events. With an estimated uniform accrual rate of 140 patients per year for 3.5 years and exponential survival, the final analysis is expected to occur 8 years after the start of the trial. Concomitant ancillary study has also started, focusing on the identification of subgroups for muscle invasive bladder tumors sensitivity to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, as suggested by the recent MDA classification. Clinical trial information: NCT 018 12369.