Recurrence of non-muscle invasive bladder carcinoma after transurethral resection with hexaminolevulinate photodynamic diagnosis or regular cystoscopy

Abstract

Objectives: To compare the recurrence of non-muscle invasive bladder carcinoma (NMIBC) after transurethral resection employing cystoscopy with hexaminolevulinate-based photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) or with standard white light. Patients and methods: We included patients with newly suspected NMIBC in this retrospective cohort study and compared those undergoing transurethral resection by white light cystoscopy (WLC) (2008–2010) and PDD (2010–2012). All patients were treated following established criteria for good quality resection. The primary outcome was the difference in the recurrence rate after 60 months’ follow-up, but we also stratified recurrence by risk groups, as set by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer. The mean recurrence-free survival was compared between the cohorts. Odds ratios or hazard ratios are reported with their 95% confidence intervals. Results: The WLC and PDD cohorts comprised 124 and 91 subjects, respectively. There were no significant differences in recurrence rates between the cohorts at 6 months (recurrence rate 9/123; 7.3%), 12 months (17/118; 14.4%) or 60 months (39/102; 38.2%), with odds ratios of 1.23 (CI 0.48–3.25), 1.32 (CI 0.67–2.62) and 1.12 (CI 0.70–1.79), in favour of WLC, respectively. Further analysis showed no significant effect of PDD on either recurrence by risk group or on mean recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio, 1.12 [CI 0.70–1.79]). Conclusion: We found no relevant differences in the recurrence of NMIBC after the introduction of PDD with hexaminolevulinate compared to standard WLC when used for transurethral resection in our single institution.