The researchers found no difference in OS at five years’ post-treatment (HR, 0.96, favoring CMT; p = 0.778; four studies, 452 patients) or 10 years (HR, 1.02, favoring RC; p = 0.905; five studies, 9,295 patients). They also found no difference in DSS at five years (HR, 0.83, favoring CMT; p = 0.390; two studies, 326 patients) or 10 years (HR, 1.17, favoring RC; p = 0.264; four studies, 9,171 patients). At 10 years, post-treatment, they found no difference in PFS (HR, 0.85, favoring CMT; p = 0.639; two studies, 293 patients). There were no studies that examined PFS at five years’ post-treatment.

“According to our analyses, patients undergoing radical cystectomy likely share no cancer survival benefits compared with patients receiving chemoradiation-based bladder preservation therapy,” said Dr. Kaushik.


These findings—that a less-invasive treatment option may be sufficient—are encouraging for those with MIBC. And while the researchers say that bladder-preserving treatment, such as CMT, may be an option for more patients, they say it also highlights the need for more studies specifically comparing the two modalities.

“Further research is needed to evaluate these two treatment arms—radical cystectomy versus combined modality treatment—to identify optimal treatments for specific patients,” said Dr. Kaushik.

Based on the results published in the journal article, Dr. Kaushik and his team have launched a pilot clinical research study of 30 patients with MIBC. Half will be treated with RC and half will be treated with CMT, including radiation therapy. The trial is currently enrolling patients.

For more information or a copy of the full study, contract ASTRO’s media relations team. For the study abstract, visit http://www.redjournal.org/article/S0360-3016(16)33549-0/abstract. For more information about the Red Journal, visit www.redjournal.org.


ABOUT ASTRO
ASTRO is the premier radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who are physicians, nurses, biologists, physicists, radiation therapists, dosimetrists and other health care professionals who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through professional education and training, support for clinical practice and health policy standards, advancement of science and research, and advocacy. ASTRO publishes three medical journals, International Journal of Radiation Oncology • Biology • Physics (www.redjournal.org), Practical Radiation Oncology (www.practicalradonc.org) and Advances in Radiation Oncology (www.advancesradonc.org); developed and maintains an extensive patient website, RT Answers (www.rtanswers.org); and created the Radiation Oncology Institute (www.roinstitute.org), a nonprofit foundation to support research and education efforts around the world that enhance and confirm the critical role of radiation therapy in improving cancer treatment. To learn more about ASTRO, visit www.astro.org.

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