Comment (1) Tweet Share on LinkedIn Related Articles Video: Kids and Sleep Why These Famous Vegetarians and Vegans Pass on Meat How to Find the Right Doctor 
Adding fluorouracil, mitomycin C led to significantly better survival rates. April 18, 2012 RSS Feed Print 
By Maureen Salamon
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- The addition of two well-tolerated chemotherapy drugs to radiation therapy led to significantly longer survival rates among patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer.
In a new study splitting 360 patients into groups receiving radiation alone or radiation plus chemotherapy, British researchers found that those undergoing combined therapies had a 67 percent rate of local disease-free survival after two years, compared with 54 percent in the radiation group. Five-year overall survival rates were 48 percent in the chemo-radiation group, compared with 35 percent in the radiation-only group.
"Overall, the results establish that the addition of chemotherapy to radiotherapy should become standard practice for organ-preserving treatments of bladder cancer," said Dr. Manish Vira, director of the fellowship program in urologic oncology at the Arthur Smith Institute for Urology in Lake Success, N.Y. "The tried-and-true treatment method is still [bladder removal] and certainly we are moving toward a more multi-disciplinary approach."
[Read: Gene Mutation Linked to Chemo-Resistant Colon Cancer.]
The study is published April 19 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
About 385,000 cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed annually worldwide, according to study authors, with the average age at diagnosis over 70. For those whose cancer has invaded the bladder muscle, five-year survival rates are about 45 percent regardless of treatment.
For younger, healthier patients, bladder removal -- known as radical cystectomy -- is considered the gold standard of care for invasive bladder cancer. But older patients with co-existing medical conditions may not be as well-equipped to tolerate complications of the procedure, experts said.
The new study, the largest late-stage trial of its kind, was conducted at 45 medical facilities in the United Kingdom. Patients were randomly assigned to undergo daily radiation alone or radiation along with two chemotherapy drugs, fluorouracil and mitomycin C. In addition to improved survival rates, the number of patients needing bladder removal as a "salvage therapy" -- because other treatments failed -- was lower among those receiving radiation plus chemotherapy.
[Read: Experimental Chemo Combo for Colon Cancer Disappoints.]
Adverse effects from the chemotherapy -- including diarrhea, sore mouth or suppression of blood cell production -- were low among participants and were managed by lowering drug dosages, said study author Dr. Nicholas James, a professor of clinical oncology at the University of Birmingham. in England.
Cost of the chemotherapy drugs is relatively inexpensive, he said -- about $1,600, plus pharmacy and intravenous administration costs.
"We were pleasantly surprised by the overall results, particularly the low reported toxicity in the chemo-radiotherapy arm compared to the radiotherapy-only group," James said. "We feel the results are sufficient to change practice . . . the drugs are cheap and safety was good in an elderly population."
More information
The U.S. National Library of Medicine has more about bladder cancer.
Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Tags: radiation, chemotherapy, cancer Reader Comments Read all comments (1) Add Your Thoughts Comment Your comment will be truncated to the first 3000 characters. Name State Select One AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY International Email Please enter the two words below into the text field underneath the image. Incorrect please try again
Enter the words above: Enter the numbers you hear: 
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ. advertisement
U.S. News Rankings & Research U.S. News's "Best" delivers recognized, authoritative information and clear, objective rankings that help readers plan for their life and ultimately, make the most of it.
Best Hospitals Best Health Plans Best Nursing Homes Best Diets Featured Videos 
Depression Learn how to recognize the symptoms.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Rheumatoid Arthritis can affect the young and old alike.
Suffering from Migraines? Know your triggers to prevent a migraine meltdown.
advertisement
Get the Guidebook 
Best Hospitals 2012 The definitive U.S. News guide to hospitals, with 172 full-color pages of rankings, special reports, and more.
Order it now Hospitals » Hospitals by Specialty Cancer Hospitals Cardiology & Heart Surgery Hospitals Diabetes & Endocrinology Hospitals Orthopedics Hospitals Hospitals »#bottom dl.editors-picks dd p {font-size:1.1em;}Hospitals by City
Chicago Hospitals Dallas-Fort Worth Hospitals Los Angeles Hospitals New York City Hospitals Philadelphia Hospitals Diets » Best Diets for You Best Diets Overall Best Weight-Loss Diets Best Diabetes Diets Best Heart-Healthy Diets Best Commercial Diet Plans Senior Housing » Best Nursing Homes California Nursing Homes Florida Nursing Homes Illinois Nursing Homes New York Nursing Homes Penn. Nursing Homes Health Plans » Top Health Insurance Companies Calif. Health Insurance Florida Health Insurance Mass. Health Insurance Texas Health Insurance Virginia Health Insurance advertisement
Home Hospitals Doctors Health Plans Nursing Homes Diets RSS Employment Opportunities Contact Us Site Map Privacy Policy Masthead Advertise With Us Subscribe Copyright © 2012 U.S.News & World Report LP All rights reserved.
Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our Terms and Conditions of Use and Privacy Policy.
View the Original article
No comments:
Post a Comment