January 2025

A recently published retrospective study from the Department of Urology at the University of Cologne, Germany, evaluated the efficacy of HIVEC as a bladder-sparing treatment option in 60 patients with high-risk non–muscle-invasive bladder cancer (HR-NMIBC), either following BCG failure or who were BCG-naïve.

Despite a heavily pretreated cohort, the study demonstrated excellent 1- and 2-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) outcomes. A particularly noteworthy finding was a 12-month RFS rate of 73.2% in the BCG failure subgroup. 

The study concludes that HIVEC is an effective and well-tolerated intravesical salvage therapy, achieving high rates of recurrence-free and progression-free survival. Notably, the bladder preservation rate approached 80% at 24 months. Compared to newer therapeutic alternatives, HIVEC demonstrated superior oncological outcomes as well as improved tolerability and safety. These results support the use of HIVEC as a good alternative for patients who are either ineligible for or refuse radical cystectomy.

Read more in Urologic Oncology:
DOI: 10.1016/j.urolonc.2024.01.300