Adjuvant chemotherapy for invasive urothelial cancer: experience with a methotrexate, vincristine, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, adriamycin and bleomycin (MVP-CAB) regimen: a preliminary report

Abstract

MVP-CAB chemotherapy (methotrexate, vincristine, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, adriamycin and bleomycin) was administered to 28 patients with high grade, locally-invasive or regional lymph node-involved urothelial cancer as an adjuvant therapy after radical surgery. The median follow-up period of all the evaluated patients was 24 (range, 5-62) months. The median disease-free durations in patients with pT1b+2+3 bladder and upper urothelial cancer were 26 and 22 months, respectively. In contrast, all patients with pT4 disease or lymph node metastases had a recurrence within 24 months of surgery. The median disease-free durations in patients with pure transitional cell carcinoma (grade 3) of the bladder and upper urothelial cancer were 19 and 18 months, respectively. The median disease-free duration in patients with grade 3 pT1b+2+3 pure transitional cell carcinoma was 19 months. In contrast, the median disease-free duration in bladder cancer patients with pT1b+2+3 squamous cell carcinoma components was 35 months. The three-year actuarial survival rates were 79 and 89% for pT1b+2+3 bladder and upper urothelial cancer, respectively, while the three-year actuarial survival rates of patients with pT4 bladder cancer and pT4 upper urothelial cancer were 0 and 100%, respectively. The two-year actuarial survivals in the bladder cancer and upper urothelial cancer patients with lymph node involvement were 0 and 100%, respectively. The three-year actuarial survivals of patients with pure transitional cell carcinoma (grade 3) were 53 and 80% in bladder cancer and upper urothelial cancer patients, respectively. The three-year actuarial survival rate in patients with squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinoma components which did not recur was, however, 100%. Although randomized studies comparing MVP-CAB and M-VAC (methotrexate, vinblastin, adriamycin and cisplatin) or other chemotherapeutic regimens will be necessary, we believe our results indicate that MVP-CAB chemotherapy may be useful as an adjuvant therapy for patients with urothelial cancer, including those with squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma components. More intensive MVP-CAB chemotherapy, i.e., increasing the dose of cisplatin and giving at least five courses, as well as the use of granulocyte colony stimulating factor and a new antiemetic drug (granisetron), will, however, be necessary for patients with pT4 or lymph node-involved disease.