Transurethral Resection of Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Tumors Combined with Fluorescence Diagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy with Chlorin e(6)-Type Photosensitizers

Bladder cancer is a common disease with a high recurrence rate. In order to improve the treatment of superficial bladder tumors, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of transurethral resection (TURB) followed by fluorescence diagnosis (FD) and photodynamic therapy (PDT) with chlorin e(6) photosensitizers (PSs), viz. “Fotoran e(6)” and “Fotoditazin”. It was found that both PSs generated singlet oxygen and revealed moderate affinity toward the lipid-like compartment. Between November 2018 and October 2020, 12 patients with verified non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) were treated by TURB combined with FD and PDT. Eight patients received “Fotoran e(6)” intravenously, while four patients received intravesical PSs. The patient ages were between 31 and 79 years, with a median age of 64.5 years (mean 61.3 ± 14.2). The total light dose was 150 J/cm(2) for the local irradiation of the tumor bed with a red light at the λ = 660 nm wavelength, and 10–25 J/cm(2) were additionally delivered for diffuse irradiation of the entire bladder mucosa. At the median follow-up period of 24 months (mean 24.5 ± 5.4 months, range 16–35 months), 11 patients remained tumor-free. One 79-year-old patient developed a recurrence without progression to the muscle layer. This pilot study shows that the TURB + FD + PDT technique is an effective and safe option for the first-line treatment of superficial bladder tumors.