Integrated preoperative irradiation and radical cystectomy

Thirty patients with stage B2-C-D1 and/or grade III-IV transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder were entered into a pilot study of integrated surgery and radiotherapy. Staging laparotomy with formation of an ileal loop preceded the delivery of 4000 to 5000 rad in 4 to 5 weeks to the pelvis; cystectomy was accomplished in 26 patients 4 to 8 weeks after completion of irradiation. The program was accomplished without undue difficulty and resulted in a lowering of the clinical stage in 22 of 26 patients; no residual invasive cancer was seen histologically in 8 patients. Although it was formidable, the morbidity rate was not significantly different than it was after cystectomy without preoperative irradiation. The short term survival rate, in conjunction with an analysis of sites of failure, suggests that a prospective study be accomplished to document the validity of this therapeutic approach to bladder cancer; patient selection, surgical technique, and time-dose-volume radiation factors should also be considered