Abstract:
Objective To investigate the role of complete transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) before radical cystectomy (RC) in T stage 2 (T2) bladder cancer.
Methods A total of 94 patients who underwent RC with pathological stage T2N0M0 in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center between January 2008 and December 2018 were retrospectively examined and assigned into two groups: complete (n=52) and incomplete (n=42) TURBT. The inclusion criterion for the complete TURBT group was no visible lesion on endoscopy after TURBT or RC. The disease-free survival of the two groups was compared, and independent predictors of survival were evaluated.
Results The median number and size of tumors were 1 and 3 cm, respectively. With a median follow-up of 42.7 months, 16 of 94 patients experienced recurrence. Complete TURBT was related to tumor size (P=0.021), histological variants (P=0.015), and down staging (P=0.001). Age was an independent predictor of disease-free survival (P=0.034), and complete TURBT and down staging were not independent predictors of disease-free survival (DFS) (P=0.165 and 0.740, respectively).
Conclusions Complete TURBT is related to an increased rate of down staging before RC, and it was not associated with better oncological outcomes for patients with T2 bladder cancer.