[Treatment of infiltrating nonmetastatic bladder cancers in elderly patients]

Abstract

Total cystectomy is the reference treatment for infiltrating nonmetastatic bladder cancers. With the progress in anesthesia and postoperative intensive care, this treatment can be applied to a population of elderly subjects provided there is a strict oncological and geriatric evaluation of the patient. Recent series reporting total cystectomies in subjects over 75 years of age report comparable morbidity and mortality rates to the general population. Strategies to preserve the vesical reservoir can be indicated in selected cases. Their objectives are to guarantee local control and follow-up identical to radical cystectomy, while preserving a functional bladder and good quality of life. The strategies including transurethral resection with radiochemotherapy are analyzed. Thus, with multidisciplinary consensus and adapted management, elderly patients with significant comorbidities should not be automatically excluded from access to effective treatment of these cancers.