Is Switching Intravesical Chemotherapeutic Agents Beneficial in Short-Term Recurrent High-Risk Non-Muscle-invasive Bladder Tumors? A 5-Year Retrospective Study

Abstract Objective To explore if switching intravesical chemotherapeutic agents is beneficial in short-term recurrences of high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) following the failure of preceding intravesical therapy. Materials and methods From June 2010 to October 2015, 205 patients with NMIBC who experienced tumor recurrence within a year after receiving first-line intravesical chemotherapy (IVC) were classified into two groups. After a second complete transurethral resection (TUR) process, we immediately altered the intravesical instillation agent for 107 patients (group A). In contrast, the remaining 98 patients (group B) continued using their original intravesical instillation agent. After transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT), all patients received either an immediate instillation of epirubicin (EPI), gemcitabine (GEM), or hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT), followed by regular induction and maintenance instillations. Recurrence and progression rates were evaluated using the Chi-square test, and recurrence-free survival (RFS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Results In this study, there was no significant difference in either the 5-year tumor recurrence or progression rates between the two groups (p > 0.05) The Kaplan–Meier plot showed no difference in progression-free or recurrence-free survival between the two groups. Conclusion Switching IVC agents does not improve RFS and PFS for patients with short-term recurrent high-risk NMIBC.