BACKGROUND: The indications to administer adjuvant systemic chemotherapy to patients with urothelial carcinoma of the bladder who underwent radical cystectomy is discussed controversially and all international guidelines are very restrictive with regard to its recommendation for routine daily practice due to the low scientific evidence concerning its therapeutic benefit.
Currently, adjuvant systemic chemotherapy should be preferably administered within clinical trials. In the daily routine adjuvant treatment might be given in patients with lymph node positive disease. Clinical, pathohistological and molecular biomarkers which might be associated with a positive or negative treatment response have been evaluated sparsely in the past.
RESULTS: The presence of hemangiosis/lymphangiosis carcinomatosa and/or extranodal expansion in patients with lymph node metastases appears to be associated with a poor outcome. The markers ERCC-1, XAF and anti-apoptotic proteins of the Bcl-2 family seem to represent the most promising biomarkers associated with response to adjuvant cisplatin-based chemotherapy.
Written by:
Thissen AK, Pfister D, Heidenreich A. Are you the author?
Klinik für Urologie, Universitätsklinikum Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074, Aachen, Deutschland.
Reference: Urologe A. 2013 Sep;52(9):1233-41.
doi: 10.1007/s00120-013-3311-5
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23975218
Article in German.
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