A regimen of gemcitabine chemotherapy with daily radiation therapy led to good cancer control rates in patients with bladder cancer, with potential to spare patients from cystectomies, according to a study presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) annual meeting.
The randomized phase II study evaluated outcomes for ways of treating muscle-invasive bladder cancer in a bid to avoid cystectomy: the established chemotherapy treatment with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin with twice-daily radiation (FCT); and gemcitabine with daily radiation (GD), an emerging option. However, the study was not powered to compare these methods head to head.
Updated results were presented at the virtual edition of the ASTRO meeting, following the prior release of positive efficacy and safety data. The distant metastasis-free rate at three years was 79% for GD compared with 85% for FCT, both results surpassing an efficacy benchmark of 75%. At the five-year mark, the distant-metastasis free rate was 77% for GD and 70% for FCT. Rates of severe adverse events were similar.
The results show that gemcitabine with daily radiation is a viable treatment regimen, with a more convenient daily radiation schedule and helpful as an option for patients who aren't eligible for cisplatin-containing regimens, concluded researchers affiliated with NRG Oncology, the study sponsor.
