[Predictive factors and long term carcinogenic results of patients who no longer have residual tumors (stage pT0) on specimens of total cystectomy carried out for cancer of the bladder]

Aim: The aim of our study was to evaluate predictive factors and long-term carcinogenic results for patients who had had a total cystectomy for cancer of the bladder and whose final histological results did not show evidence of a residual tumor.

Patients and methods: From 1988 to 2002, 192 patients had a total cystectomy for a bladder tumor. No residual tumor (pT0) was evident in the specimens of cystectomy of 22 patients (11.5%). None of the patients had distant metastasis or ganglions at the time of the initial examination.

Results: Predictive factors for having no residual tumors based on the specimen of cystectomy (pT0) were an antecedent of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy (p=0.0079), an interval between the resection of the bladder and the cystectomy of more than 12 weeks (p=0.0014) and a resection of the initial bladder considered complete (p=0.0036). The average treatment of these 22 patients was 70+/-46 months. During treatment, two patients (9%) had a recurrence in the pelvis and 10 patients died including one from the development of his cancer of the bladder. Global, specific and non-recurrence survival at five years were 75%, 100% and 94%, respectively. We revealed better specific survival (p=0.0007) and without relapse (p<0.0001) in patients who no longer had a tumor on the specimen of cystectomy (pT0) compared with patients who had a residual tumor (pT+) but with no difference in global survival (p=0.0574).

Conclusion: The absence of residual tumors (pT0) on a specimen of total cystectomy for cancer of the bladder was a good factor for prognosis regarding long-term survival even if tumor development was observed. Complete resection and neo-adjuvant chemotherapy probably played a beneficial role in the future of these patients.