Second transurethral resection for high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients: a propensity score matched analysis

Objectives Second transurethral resection is recommended for patients diagnosed with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer; however, there have been several studies showing conflicting findings regarding the advantage of second transurethral resection. The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of second transurethral resection using propensity score matched analysis. Patients and Methods This study retrospectively included 164 consecutive patients who underwent initial transurethral resection and were diagnosed with high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Of these, 56 subsequently received second transurethral resection, and the remaining 108 underwent initial transurethral resection alone. Results After adjusting patient variables by propensity score matching, 44 patients were included in each group. There was no significant difference in recurrence-free, progression-free or overall survival between these two groups. Conclusions These findings suggested no significant impact of second transurethral resection on the prognosis of high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients; therefore, it may be necessary to perform a reassessment focusing on the indication for second transurethral resection by conducting a large-scale prospective study.