[Is neoadjuvant chemotherapy valid in invasive cancer of the bladder?].

The role of neoadjuvant chemotherapy for invasive transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder is not determined yet. M-VAC and CMV regimens have a complete response rate of 10-47% with an overall response reaching 80%. In 16.7-35% of all the responders and 42.9-92% of the complete responders a functioning bladder can be preserved. The influence of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on long-term survival is questionable. Nevertheless, the authors conclude that neoadjuvant chemotherapy is feasible in patients with invasive TCC as it improves the results of following surgery and in some cases enables an organ sparing operation.