Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Failure in Patients with Non-Muscle-invasive Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder May Be Due to the Urologist's Failure to Detect Urothelial Carcinoma of the Upper Urinary Tract and Urethra

Giannarini, Gianluca; Birkhäuser, Frédéric D.; Recker, Franz; Thalmann, George N.; Studer, Urs E. (2014). Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Failure in Patients with Non-Muscle-invasive Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder May Be Due to the Urologist's Failure to Detect Urothelial Carcinoma of the Upper Urinary Tract and Urethra. European urology, 65(4), pp. 825-831. Elsevier 10.1016/j.eururo.2013.09.049

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BACKGROUND:

Various reasons exist for so-called bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) failure in patients with non-muscle-invasive urothelial bladder carcinoma (NMIBC).

OBJECTIVE:

To explore whether urothelial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract (UUT) and/or prostatic urethra may be a cause for BCG failure.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:

Retrospective analysis of 110 patients with high-risk NMIBC repeatedly treated with intravesical BCG, diagnosed with disease recurrence, and followed for a median time of 9.1 yr.

INTERVENTION:

Two or more intravesical BCG induction courses without maintenance.

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS:

Primary outcome was pattern of disease recurrence (BCG failure) within the urinary tract categorised into UUT and/or urethral carcinoma (with or without intravesical recurrence), and intravesical recurrence alone. Secondary outcome was survival. Predictors of UUT and/or urethral carcinoma and the effect of pattern of disease recurrence on cancer-specific survival were assessed with multivariable Cox regression analysis adjusting for multiple clinical and tumour characteristics.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS:

Of the 110 patients, 57 (52%) had UUT and/or urethral carcinoma (with or without intravesical recurrence), and 53 (48%) had intravesical recurrence alone. In patients with UUT and/or urethral carcinoma, bladder carcinoma in situ (Tis) before the first and second BCG course was present in 42 of 57 (74%) and 47 of 57 (82%) patients, respectively. On multivariable analysis, bladder Tis before the first and/or second BCG course was the only independent predictor of UUT and/or urethral carcinoma. Of the 110 patients, 69 (63%) were alive at last follow-up visit, 18 (16%) had died due to metastatic urothelial carcinoma, and 23 (21%) had died of other causes. Pattern of disease recurrence within the urinary tract was not an independent predictor of cancer-specific survival. Main study limitations were retrospective design and limited power for survival analysis.

CONCLUSIONS:

In our patients with high-risk NMIBC failing after two or more courses of intravesical BCG, UUT and/or urethral carcinoma was detected in >50% of the cases during follow-up. The vast majority of these patients had bladder Tis before the first and/or second BCG course. In patients experiencing the so-called BCG failure, a diagnostic work-up of UUT and prostatic urethra should always be performed to exclude urothelial carcinoma before additional intravesical therapy or even a radical cystectomy is considered.

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