Efficacy and safety of bladder hydrodistension for decreased bladder capacity induced by intravesical BCG therapy

Abstract

Objective: Intravesical BCG therapy is widely used for the treatment of high-risk, non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Among various reported side-effects, decreased bladder capacity is a serious side-effect that significantly worsens patients’ quality of life. This article reports the efficacy and safety of bladder hydrodistension (BHD) in six patients with seriously decreased bladder capacity caused by BCG treatment.

Methods: Six patients with low bladder capacity (<100 ml in voiding diaries) and complaint of grade 3 irritative symptoms were diagnosed with decreased bladder capacity and treated with BHD. Alleviation of symptoms was defined as medication being discontinued or reduced after BHD.

Results: Five patients were male and one was female, and the mean age was 67.7 years. The mean interval between the last transurethral resection and BCG therapy was 26.0 days. Before BHD, all patients had been treated with antibiotics, anticholinergics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The median bladder capacity before treatment was 40 ml (range 30–100 ml), and the median capacity increased to 200 ml (175–250 ml) within 2 weeks following BHD therapy. Four patients stopped NSAID use and three patients stopped anticholinergic use. One patient needed total cystectomy for recurrent symptoms. With a median follow-up period of 32 months, the bladder capacity remained stable without symptomatic deterioration in the remaining five patients. There was neither tumor spread nor disseminated tuberculosis infection.

Conclusions: BHD appears to be an effective treatment option in patients with severely decreased bladder capacity. Its efficacy and safety were acceptable.

Keywords:

• BCG
• bladder cancer
• decreased bladder capacity
• hydrodistension

Acknowledgements

We are grateful for Ms Mitobe for their assistance with collecting data.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.