Intravesical bleomycin in bladder tumour prophylaxis

Abstract

The authors have evaluated the efficacy, tolerability and systemic absorption of bleomycin administered by intravesical route in the prophylaxis of recurrences of superficial vesical tumours after endoscopic resection (TUR). Thirty mg of bleomycin dissolved in 30 ml of saline solution were instilled in the bladder once a week for the first month and then once a month for 12 months. The instilled fluid was held in the bladder for 1 hour. The systemic absorption of the drug was evaluated by a microbiological assay of bleomycin in plasma and in the perfusion liquid recovered from the bladder. Fifteen patients were treated; most had a long history of multiple recurrent tumours despite previous intravesical treatments. Thirteen patients presented tumour recurrences during the treatment; 4 of them were given a second course of instillations following a second TUR and 3 of these presented further recurrences. The authors conclude that the drug, administered intravesically to high-risk patients with the modalities employed in the present study, was not effective in preventing recurrences. It was well tolerated locally and was free from systemic toxicity. The amount of bleomycin that was not recovered from the bladder after a contact time of one hour was relatively high but the drug did not reach measurable levels in the peripheral blood.

Epirubicin and gait apraxia: a real-world data analysis of the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System database

“…Bladder cancer accounts for approximately 90%–95% of urothelial cancers and 4% of malignant cancers in adults ( Richters et al, 2020 ). Since 1985, many studies have shown that epirubicin has good therapeutic effects and high efficacy in preventing bladder cancer recurrence ( Tripi et al, 1986 ; Oosterlinck et al, 1993 ). Previous clinical trials have shown that, in patients with bladder cancer, the main adverse events of epirubicin are hematuria, cystitis, urinary tract infection, and systemic side effects, which include fever, tiredness, nausea, abdominal pain, and headache—listed on the instruction label ( Onrust et al, 1999 ; Hendricksen et al, 2008 ).…”