[EFFICACY OF NEOADJUVANT GEMCITABINE AND CISPLATIN IN THE MANAGEMENT OF MUSCLE-INVASIVE UROTHELIAL CARCINOMA OF THE BLADDER].

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin (GC) in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. METHOD: This was a retrospective analysis of 14 patients who received neoadjuvant GC before radical cystectomy for clinical stage T2-4N0-3M0 bladder cancer. The primary outcome was pT0 rate and no residual muscle-invasion (≤ pT1) at cystectomy. RESULTS: Before chemotherapy, clinical stage T2 was in 8 (57%), T3 in 6 (43%) and N + in 3 (21%). Relative dose intensity was 75% for gemcitabine and 91% for cisplatin. At cystectomy, pT0 was observed in 4 (29%) and ≤ pT1 in 10 (71%). Regarding lymph node metastasis, 2 with N1 had pN0 and pN1, respectively, and 1 with N3 did pN1. Grade 3 or 4 anemia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, and febrile neutropenia were observed in 3 (21%), 9 (64%), 9 (64%) and 1 (7%), respectively. Three patients died of bladder cancer at median follow-up of 33 months. The 4-year overall survival rate in patients with pT0 was 100% compared to 47% in those with residual diseases (P = 0.153). CONCLUSIONS: We showed the proportion of pT0 at cystectomy to predict the effect of neoadjuvant GC. The results suggest that neoadjuvant GC is feasible for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer.