scholarly journals THE EXPERIENCE OF UK BLADDER CANCER PATIENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A SURVEY-BASED SNAPSHOT

Author(s):  
Sarah Spencer-Bowdage ◽  
Jeannie Rigby ◽  
Jackie O’Kelly ◽  
Phil Kelly ◽  
Mark Page ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTThe Covid-19 pandemic has placed unprecedented strain on healthcare systems worldwide. Within this context, UK cancer services have undergone significant disruption to create capacity for the National Health Service. As a charity that endeavours to support bladder cancer (BC) patients and improve outcomes, Action Bladder Cancer UK (ABCUK) designed and administered a SurveyMonkey survey to investigate the prevalence of such disruption for BC patients. From 22nd April to 18th June 2020, 142 BC patients responded. Across all patient groups, 46.8% of patients described disruption to their treatment or follow-up. For non-muscle-invasive BC (NMIBC) patients, disruptions included postponement of: initial transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) (33.3%), subsequent TURBT (40.0%), and surveillance cystoscopy (58.1%). For NMIBC patients undergoing intravesical therapy, 68.4% experienced treatment postponements or curtailments. For muscle-invasive BC patients, 57.1% had experienced postponement of cystectomy and 14.3% had been changed from cystectomy to radiotherapy. Half of patients undergoing systemic chemotherapy also experienced disruption. Despite the survey’s limitations, we have demonstrated considerable disruption to the care of BC patients during the UK Covid-19 pandemic. To avoid a repeat, the UK BC community should define effective contingent ways of working ready for a possible ‘second wave’ of Covid-19, or any other such threat.

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 5080-5080
Author(s):  
M. C. Benson ◽  
L. Barlow ◽  
J. McKiernan

5080 Background: Our initial phase I trial showed docetaxel to be a safe agent for intravesical therapy with no systemic absorption and minimal toxicity after 6 weekly instillations. In that trial, docetaxel appeared to show a 56% complete response (CR) but the durability was only 22% (no additional therapy) to 39% (CR with additional TURBT). Owing to this excellent initial response rate, a second group of patients were treated with a 6 week induction and then given monthly maintenance therapy with intravesical docetaxel for BCG refractory high-grade, non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Methods: 13 patients with recurrent Ta (n=1), T1 (n=6), and Tis (n=6) TCC who failed at least one prior BCG treatment were treated. Induction therapy was administered to all 13 patients as 6 weekly instillations of 75mg intravesical docetaxel followed by single-dose monthly maintenance therapy for 9 additional instillations in 9 of the patients who experienced complete initial response. Initial response at 12 weeks from the start of induction therapy was evaluated by cystoscopy with biopsy and urine cytology. Follow-up consisted of quarterly cystoscopy with biopsy and cytology and periodic CT scans. Results: The median follow-up was 14.4 months for the entire cohort. Median duration of maintenance treatment was 9 months. 10/13 patients (77%) from the entire cohort had a complete initial response after induction, and 6/13 patients (46%) have remained disease-free in follow-up. Of those who failed, 6 patients underwent TURBT and one underwent cystectomy. 9/10 initial responders completed at least 3 doses of maintenance therapy to date, of whom 6/9 (67%) have remained recurrence-free. Conclusions: Monthly maintenance therapy with intravesical docetaxel appears to extend the durability of response to induction treatment for a select group of patients with BCG refractory high risk NMIBC and may decrease overall risk of recurrence in NMIBC. No significant financial relationships to disclose.


2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (10) ◽  
pp. 1626-1635 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Hafeez ◽  
A Horwich ◽  
O Omar ◽  
K Mohammed ◽  
A Thompson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Radiotherapy for muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) aims to offer organ preservation without oncological compromise. Neo-adjuvant chemotherapy provides survival advantage; response may guide patient selection for bladder preservation and identify those most likely to have favourable result with radiotherapy. Methods: Ninety-four successive patients with T2-T4aN0M0 bladder cancer treated between January 2000 and June 2011 were analysed at the Royal Marsden Hospital. Patients received platinum-based chemotherapy following transurethral resection of bladder tumour; repeat cystoscopy (±biopsy) was performed to guide subsequent management. Responders were treated with radiotherapy. Poor responders were recommended radical cystectomy. Progression-free survival (PFS), disease-specific survival (DSS) and overall survival (OS) were estimated using Kaplan–Meier method; univariate and multivariate analyses were performed using the Cox proportional hazard regression model. Results: Response assessment was performed in 89 patients. Seventy-eight (88%) demonstrated response; 53 (60%) achieved complete response (CR); 74 responders had radiotherapy; 4 opted for cystectomy. Eleven (12%) demonstrated poor response, 10 received cystectomy. Median survival for CR was 90 months (95% CI 64.7, 115.9) compared with 16 months (95% CI 5.4, 27.4; P<0.001) poor responders. On multivariate analysis, only response was associated with significantly improved PFS, OS and DSS. After a median follow-up of 39 months (range 4–127 months), 14 patients (16%) required salvage cystectomy (8 for non-muscle invasive disease, 5 for invasive recurrence, 1 for radiotherapy related toxicity). In all, 82% had an intact bladder at last follow-up after radiotherapy; 67% had an intact bladder at last follow-up or death. Our study is limited by its retrospective nature. Conclusions: Response to neo-adjuvant chemotherapy is a favourable prognostic indicator and can be used to select patients for radiotherapy allowing bladder preservation in >80% of the selected patients.


2016 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hari Pada Mondal ◽  
Kapang Yirang ◽  
Chandranath Mukhopadhyay ◽  
Shyam Sundar Adhikary ◽  
Biswajit Dutta ◽  
...  

Background: Approximately 70% of urinary bladder cancer are non-muscle invasive at presentation. It is notorious for its high incidence and recurrence rate. The five-year recurrence rate varies between 30 and 60%. The intravesical treatment evolved out of need to prevent tumour recurrence after local surgical resection.Objectives: To compare intravesical Mitomycin C and BCG therapies in the prevention of recurrences and severity of their side effects.Materials and Methods: 40 patients with superficial bladder cancer were studied in urology unit of surgery department of North Bengal Medical College, Darjeeling from June, 2012 to May, 2013. They underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumour. Post operatively 19 patients were treated by intravesical Mitomycin C and 21 patients with BCG. Post intravesical therapy, patients were monitored 3 monthly for recurrence and side effects.Results: No recurrence was observed at the 3rd month follow up, two recurrences were observed at the end of 6th month in the Mitomycin C group. Regarding side effects, cystitis had no significant difference between the two groups but fever, hematuria and retention of urine were found significantly in BCG group during the study period.Conclusions: In the prevention of recurrences, intravesical Mitomycin C and BCG therapies have comparable efficacies at the end of 6 months. A further follow up period is required to see and compare the long term results. The incidence of the side effects although mild was much higher with intravesical BCG therapy.Bangladesh Journal of Medical Science Vol.15(1) 2016 p.74-77


2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_6) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Grover ◽  
S Raj ◽  
B Russell ◽  
K Thomas ◽  
R Nair ◽  
...  

Abstract Aim Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is the most prevalent form of bladder cancer, predominantly affecting the elderly population. The most common treatment for recurrent NMIBC is transurethral resection of the bladder tumour (TURBT), which carries a risk of perioperative morbidity and mortality in this often-co-morbid population. Outpatient laser ablation of low-grade NMIBC recurrences is a minimally invasive treatment option, but long-term efficacy is poorly reported. Method We retrospectively reviewed the case notes of all patients treated with Holmium:YAG laser ablation from 2008-2016. Data regarding patient demographics, original histology, dates of procedures, follow-up time, recurrence, progression, and complications were recorded. Results A total of 199 procedures were performed on 97 patients (mean age of 83.56), 73 (75.3%) of which originally had low-grade (G1 or G2) tumours. Overall, 55 (56.7%) patients developed tumour recurrence at long-term follow-up (mean 5.36 years), and only 9 (9.3%) patients had tumour progression to a higher stage or grade, but there was no progression to muscle-invasive disease. The median recurrence-free, progression-free and overall survival times were 1.69 years (95% CI 1.20-2.25), 5.70 years (95% CI 4.10-7.60) and 7.60 years (95% CI 4.90-8.70), respectively. No patients required emergency inpatient admission after laser ablation for any associated complications. Conclusions Office-based Holmium: YAG laser ablation is an oncologically-safe method of managing recurrent low-grade non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer in the long-term, with no patients progressing to muscle-invasive disease. Furthermore, the procedure is safe, and no significant complications were seen in this elderly and co-morbid population.


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e16000-e16000
Author(s):  
Wagner José Fávaro ◽  
Sonia Regina Iantas ◽  
Juliana Mattoso Gonçalves ◽  
Eduardo Augusto Rabelo Socca ◽  
Nelson Duran ◽  
...  

e16000 Background: There is no effective intravesical second-line therapy for high-grade non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (HGNMIBC) when Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) fails. In this scenario, a new perspective is represented by OncoTherad immunomodulator. OncoTherad is a nanostructured inorganic phosphate complex associated to glycosidic protein, developed by University of Campinas/ Brazil, which exhibits antitumor properties. The aims of the study were to evaluate the efficacy and safety of OncoTherad immunomodulator for BCG-refractory or relapsed HGNMIBC. Methods: We carried out a prospective, single-center (Municipal Hospital of Paulinia, São Paulo, Brazil), single-arm phase I/II study in 15 (10 male, 5 female) consecutive patients with HGNMIBC-refractory or relapsed (≥ 1 previous course of BCG intravesical therapy). Patients with muscle-invasive disease were excluded. OncoTherad regimen consisted of an induction course of 6 weekly intravesical instillations followed by a maintenance course of 1 monthly instillation until completing 1 year of treatment. Follow-up was performed with systematic mapping biopsies of the bladder, cystoscopy, ultrasound and urinary cytology. The primary endpoint was recurrence-free survival (RFS) rate, and secondary endpoint was safety response. The recurrence was defined as histology proven tumor recurrence (any grade), and monitored at 3-month intervals. Results: The median age and follow-up were 71 years and 14.0 months, respectively. A 14-months RFS rate in all patients was 86.7%. Only 2 patients (13.3%) showed recurrence during follow-up, however these patients showed incipient malignant lesions (downstaging of pT1G3 to pTaG1). Regarding toxicity, we reported moderate adverse systemic event of hypersensitivity to OncoTherad in 2 patients (13.3%), and minimal local side effects (dysuria and cystitis)in 6 patients (40.0%). Conclusions: In conclusion, OncoTherad seems a safe and effective treatment option for BCG-refractory or relapsed HGNMIBC patients and may provide benefit for preventing tumor recurrence. We report a RFS rate of 86.7% (14.0 months), potentially avoiding or postponing the need for radical surgery in these patients. Clinical trial information: CAAE: 93619718.7.0000.5404.


2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 603-607 ◽  
Author(s):  
Snir Dekalo ◽  
Haim Matzkin ◽  
Nicola J Mabjeesh

Introduction Assessment of urothelial bladder cancer during cystoscopy or transurethral resection of bladder tumour has a significant impact on the urologist's decision-making: treatment with simple outpatient fulguration, required depth of resection, and need of immediate post-surgical intravesical therapy. These choices depend heavily on the urologist's ability to accurately assess pre-biopsy tumour stage and grade. The aim of the study was to determine whether evaluation of photographs taken during transurethral resection of bladder tumour can reliably characterize a tumour’s stage and grade. Methods Smartphone photographs of 50 urothelial bladder cancer cases were taken at the beginning of transurethral resection of bladder tumour and individually presented to seven senior urologists. All urologists were blinded to the final pathological report and to any other urological evaluation. Each one was asked to rate the tumour as low vs high grade and noninvasive Ta vs noninvasive T1 or muscle invasive. Results were compared with final pathology. Individual appraisal and the majority's opinion were evaluated. Results Urologists have correctly predicted tumour stage and grade in 63.5% of cases (222 of 350, average of 32 out of 50 accurate assessments). The final majority assessment was correct in 40 of 50 cases (80%). Sensitivity and specificity of the final results for the diagnosis of T1 or higher were 80% and 88.6%, respectively. Sensitivity and specificity for Ta low grade were 83.3% and 80%, respectively. Conclusions To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented attempt to evaluate urologists' ability to assess urothelial bladder cancer stage and grade using endoscopic photographs. Urologists can usually identify stage and grade of urothelial bladder cancer but accuracy increases when multiple senior urologists examine the same photographs and achieve majority consensus. Presenting photographs of urothelial bladder cancer to a team of urologists may lead to an excellent decision regarding type and extent of surgical treatment and substantiate appropriate post-surgical management.


2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 5041-5041 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arjun Vasant Balar ◽  
Ashish M. Kamat ◽  
Girish S. Kulkarni ◽  
Edward M. Uchio ◽  
Joost L. Boormans ◽  
...  

5041 Background: Pembro was recently approved for the treatment of HR NMIBC based on results from the phase 2 KEYNOTE-057 (NCT02625961) study. Herein we present safety, efficacy, and posttreatment outcomes with > 2 y follow-up from KEYNOTE-057 cohort A. Methods: Patients with histologically confirmed HR BCG-unresponsive carcinoma in situ (CIS) with or without papillary tumors who received adequate BCG therapy and were ineligible for or opted out of radical cystectomy (RC) received pembro 200 mg Q3W for up to 2 y or until disease recurrence, progression, or unacceptable toxicity. The primary end point was complete response rate (CRR). Key secondary end points were duration of response (DOR) and safety. Results: Overall, 102 patients were initially enrolled, and 96 were included in the efficacy analysis. Median time from enrollment to data cut off was 28.4 months (range, 18.2-40.5). CRR was 40.6% (95% CI, 30.7-51.1), and median DOR was 16.2 months (range, 0+ to 30.4+). Among 39 patients with CR, 18 (46.2%) had a DOR ≥12 months. No patient’s disease progressed to muscle-invasive or metastatic bladder cancer while on study treatment. Median PFS and OS were not reached. At 12 months, PFS was 82.7% and OS was 97.9%. A total of 36 patients (37.5%) underwent RC after discontinuation from study treatment, which included 9 of 22 patients (40.9%) who had recurrence after initial CR and 27 of 57 (47.4%) nonresponders. Of the 36 who underwent RC, 33 (91.6%) had no pathological upstaging to MIBC and 3 (8.3%) had at least pT2 disease at time of RC. For subsequent treatments other than RC, 27 of 96 (28.1%) patients received additional intravesical therapy (eg, BCG, gemcitabine, or mitomycin), 21 of 96 (21.9%) underwent local procedures (eg, TURBT), and 3 of 96 (3.1%) received systemic therapy (eg, pembro). In 102 patients treated with pembro, treatment-related AEs (TRAEs) occurred in 67 (65.7%) patients; most frequently reported TRAEs were fatigue, pruritus, and diarrhea (10.8% each). Grade 3/4 TRAEs occurred in 13 patients (12.7%), and 21 patients (20.6%) experienced immune-mediated AEs. There were no grade 5 TRAEs. Conclusions: After > 2 y of follow-up, durable and clinically meaningful activity of pembro was observed in patients who had HR BCG-unresponsive CIS with or without papillary tumors and who were ineligible for or opted out of RC. Pembro did not seem to limit the opportunity for subsequent therapies, including RC. The safety profile was consistent with what is reported in the literature. Clinical trial information: NCT02625961 .


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vivek Sharma ◽  
Avinash P. S. Thakur ◽  
Vasantharaja Ramasamy ◽  
Pushpendra Kumar Shukla ◽  
Fanindra Singh Solanki ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Urothelial bladder carcinoma accounts for around 3.9% cases of all the male cancers in India. Non-muscle-invasive bladder carcinoma (NMIBC) is predominant group which constitute approximately three fourth of the urothelial bladder cancer. Intravesical BCG immunotherapy is the corner stone of today’s NMIBC management. However, as with any other therapy it has its own complications and its interruption due to these adverse effects is a major cause of suboptimal efficacy. The aim of this study was to assess the complications of intravesical BCG therapy and their management in NMIBC patients. Methods This was a retrospective descriptive study conducted between October 2016 and November 2019; a backward review of 149 patients with diagnosis of NMIBC that undergone intravesicle BCG therapy was performed. Patient’s demographical, clinical, diagnostic and procedural data regarding bladder tumour, BCG therapy, its complications and management were collected and analysed. Results Total 149 patients were analysed, comprising 116 males and 33 females. The mean age was of 57.2 ± 6.7 years. Total 85.23% were primary and 14.76% were recurrent tumours. Total 96 patients (64.42%) completed the planned course, while 53 (35.57%) interrupted. The reasons for BCG interruption includes adverse effects (15.4%), progression of disease (6.7%), disease refractory to BCG (4.6%) and disease recurrence during BCG (3.3%). Most of the adverse events occurred in first 6 months and most interruptions occurred after the induction period. Cystitis was the most common observed adverse effect seen in 39.6% patients. Frequency, urgency, haematuria were common presentation. Radical cystectomy was the most common (16.10%) further treatment with patients whose treatment was interrupted. Conclusion BCG is an indispensable therapy available for NMIBC, but it is associated with array of adverse effects and complications, which are the main reasons for poor compliance to BCG therapy. Although BCG-related complications can affect any organ in the body, potentially life-threatening systemic BCG-related infections are encountered in only < 5% of patients. There are some difficulties in diagnosis of the BCG complications because acid-fast staining, culture and PCR test are not always positive; tissue biopsies should be indicated sometimes to evaluate histopathology and presence of M. bovis. A persistently monitored multidisciplinary approach with high index of suspicion and prompt anti-TB therapy can help to derive the maximum benefits while keeping the complications at check.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Clarissa Giebel ◽  
Kerry Hanna ◽  
Manoj Rajagopal ◽  
Aravind Komuravelli ◽  
Jacqueline Cannon ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Sudden public health restrictions can be difficult to comprehend for people with cognitive deficits. However, these are even more important for them to adhere to due to their increased levels of vulnerability, particularly to COVID-19. With a lack of previous evidence, we explored the understanding and changes in adherence to COVID-19 public health restrictions over time in people living with dementia (PLWD). Methods Unpaid carers and PLWD were interviewed over the phone in April 2020, shortly after the nationwide UK lockdown, with a proportion followed up from 24th June to 10th July. Participants were recruited via social care and third sector organisations across the UK, and via social media. Findings A total of 70 interviews (50 baseline, 20 follow-up) were completed with unpaid carers and PLWD. Five themes emerged: Confusion and limited comprehension; Frustration and burden; Putting oneself in danger; Adherence to restrictions in wider society; (Un) changed perceptions. Most carers reported limited to no understanding of the public health measures in PLWD, causing distress and frustration for both the carer and the PLWD. Due to the lack of understanding, some PLWD put themselves in dangerous situations without adhering to the restrictions. PLWD with cognitive capacity who participated understood the measures and adhered to these. Discussion In light of the new second wave of the pandemic, public health measures need to be simpler for PLWD to avoid unwilful non-adherence. Society also needs to be more adaptive to the needs of people with cognitive disabilities more widely, as blanket rules cause distress to the lives of those affected by dementia.


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