Concurrent chemotherapy improves the overall survival of patients irradiated for locally recurrent bladder cancer

Aim: To investigate the predictive value of several factors, including concurrent chemotherapy, for overall survival of patients irradiated for locally recurrent bladder cancer. Patients and Methods: Thirty patients irradiated for local recurrence of bladder cancer were included; 14 received concurrent chemotherapy. Ten factors were analyzed for overall survival: gender, age, period from bladder cancer diagnosis to irradiation of local recurrence, Karnofsky performance scale, tumour grading, pack-years smoked, smoking during radiotherapy, radiation dose, interruption of radiotherapy and concurrent chemotherapy. Results: On univariate analyses, significantly longer overall survival was found for those with age 76 years (p=0.024), better performance status (p<0.001) and those treated with concurrent chemotherapy (p<0.001). On Cox regression analysis, concurrent chemotherapy remained significantly associated with survival (risk ratio 3.82, p=0.013); a trend for association was found for performance status (risk ratio 2.50, p=0.076). Conclusion: Addition of concurrent chemotherapy to radiotherapy for locally recurrent bladder cancer resulted in improved overall survival. Concurrent radiochemotherapy should be considered when this is clinically reasonable for such patients.