En-Bloc Resection of Bladder Tumors

Overview

Observational data shows that "en bloc" resection of bladder tumor (EBR-BT) may entail advantages when compared with conventional transurethral bladder tumor resection (TURBT). EBR-BT has the potential to increase the rate of correct staging and accurate assignment of risk-classification in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and to avoid re-TURBT in a considerable number of high-grade NMIBC by demonstrating total macro and microscopic eradication of the primary tumor and to provide the basis for a correct treatment based on a correct stage. Following the rules of the IDEAL collaboration evaluation and stages of surgical innovation and considering EBR-BT as a surgical technical innovation, the investigators designed a multi-institutional, stage 2a/b study on feasibility (procedural success), safety (including pathology features), and short-term efficacy of EBR-BT and as proof of concept on the reliability of NMIBC staging. Main objective: to prospectively assess the pathological efficacy of EBR-BT in the staging of bladder cancer and the clinical efficacy at short-term recurrence-free survival. Secondary objectives: To assess the clinical efficacy at short-term (3-months) of EBR-BT, and to compare efficacy in the staging of the EBR-BT with the conventional TURBT.

En-bloc resection of bladder tumors (EBR-BT) has been showing certain advantages over conventional transurethral resection technique (TURBT) in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. These advantages consist mainly in the reduction of obturator nerve reflex and obtention of surgical samples according to oncological principles. Advantages in terms of tumor recurrence in the short-term, when compared with TURBT, remain uncertain. Herein several randomized control trials aim to assess comparative outcomes in the short and long term. A higher rate of detrusor muscle is found in the EBR-BT samples than in the conventional samples resulting in a better staging and at least theoretically the need for fewer re-TURBT indications. However, a detailed and scrupulous description of the histopathological samples is lacking and, it is assumed that the presence of detrusor in the sample without solution of continuity with submucosa and tumor is sufficient to stage. As in surgical samples of other organs, the objective of EBR-RT is not only to obtain detrusor, but also clean margins that ensure the radicality of the tumor. The hypothesis of the investigators' is that EBR-BT will results in an increased rate of pathological specimen with the presence of detrusor muscle and free-tumor margins, hence a more accurate stage than TURBT and a decrease in 3-months recurrence at short-term (3 months)