Intravesical chemotherapy (IVC) administered immediately following transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer significantly decreases the likelihood of disease recurrence, findings of a new meta-analysis suggest.
The meta-analysis, by Nathan Perlis, MD, and colleagues at the University of Toronto, focused on 13 randomized, controlled trials that enrolled 2,548 adult patients. IVC immediately following TURBT significantly prolonged the recurrence-free interval (RFI) by 38%, researchers reported online ahead of print in European Urology. Early recurrences (within one year) were 12% less likely in IVC recipients. The investigators calculated that nine patients would need to receive IVC to prevent one early recurrence.
