title: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Hyogo Medical Center for Adults.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gohji
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maruyama
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Minayoshi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hasunuma
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Izumi
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D016019:Survival Analysis; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D001761:Bleomycin; D014750:Vincristine; D004317:Doxorubicin; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D002945:Cisplatin; D008727:Methotrexate