Effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on survival in patients with T1 high-grade non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer who underwent radical cystectomy

Patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) who are at high and very high risk of disease progression are recommended for radical cystectomy (RC). However, the impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) on survival outcomes in NMIBC patients undergoing RC remains unclear. Patients diagnosed with T1 high-grade NMIBC who underwent RC were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. Overall survival (OS) was assessed using the Kaplan–Meier technique, and multivariable Cox regression analysis was conducted to determine the independent factors of OS. A total of 1268 T1 high-grade NMIBC patients who underwent RC between 2004 and 2015 were included in the study. NAC was administered to 76 (6.0%) patients. At a median follow-up of 75 months, there was no significant difference in the OS between the NAC and non-NAC groups (HR = 0.89, 95% CI 0.61–1.30, P = .539). However, in the multivariate Cox regression model, NAC demonstrated a more pronounced improvement in OS approaching statistical significance (HR = 0.7, 95% CI 0.47–1.05, P = .088). Subgroup analysis revealed a survival benefit of NAC in patients with lymph node metastasis. In summary, the results of this study suggest that NAC has the potential to confer a survival advantage in patients diagnosed with T1 high-grade NMIBC who undergo RC, but additional studies are needed. Nonetheless, the survival benefits of NAC in patients with lymph node involvement are apparent.