Comparing adverse effects, short term outcomes, and cost implications of hyperthermic intravesical chemotherapy with Mitomycin-C and intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin instillation (Moscow-I strain) in the management of intermediate and high-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer

• Published in: Urology annals 2021-10, Vol.13 (4), p.424-430
• Main Authors: Thyavihally, Yuvaraja, Waigankar, Santosh, Dev, Preetham, Asari, Ashish, Pednekar, Abhinav, Athikari, Nevitha, Raut, Abhijit, Khandekar, Archan, Badlani, Naresh
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adjuvant bacillus calmette–guerin; adverse effects; Bladder cancer; Cancer therapies; Chemotherapy; hyperthermic intra-vesical chemotherapy; nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer; Original; outcomes
• ISSN: 0974-7796; 0974-7834; 0974-7834
• DOI: 10.4103/UA.UA_139_20

Introduction: The recommended treatment for intermediate and high-risk nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is adjuvant intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) instillation. However, up to 50% experience tumor recurrences even after adjuvant BCG, and many patients develop local or systemic adverse effects. Our study compared adverse effects, short-term recurrence rates, and cost-implications of BCG therapy to Hyperthermic Intra-VEsical Chemotherapy (HIVEC) with Mitomycin-C (MMC) in these patients. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis of intermediate and high-risk NMIBC patients who received either intravesical BCG or HIVEC® after transurethral resection of bladder tumor in our institute (January 2017 to March 2020) was done. Twenty-two patients who received HIVEC and 29 who received BCG were analyzed. We used SPSS Statistics v20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) software for the statistical analysis. Results: Nineteen (86.4%) patients in the HIVEC group had no adverse effects. Two (9.1%) patients had Grade I lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) treated symptomatically. One patient developed UTI after HIVEC, and further cycles were stopped (Grade II). BCG group had a higher rate of Grade III adverse effects in six (20.7%) patients. Median follow-up was 10.5 and 22 months. The tumor recurred in one (4.5%) and six (20.7%) patients in HIVEC and BCG groups, respectively. There was no difference in recurrence-free survival at 18 months and the cost for the HIVEC therapy was more. Conclusions: HIVEC with MMC is a reasonable adjuvant treatment option in NMIBC, which is well tolerated, albeit increased cost of the treatment. Randomized trials with more follow-up are required for further conclusion.