Mount Sinai Researchers Find Chemotherapy after Bladder Cancer Surgery Improved Survival
Analysis of More Than 5,000 Patients Presented at 2015 Genitourinary Cancer Symposium
Patients that received chemotherapy after bladder cancer surgery demonstrated an approximately 30% lower risk of death than those that underwent surgery alone, according to an analysis to be presented by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai at the 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium.
Clinical trials have established the benefit of giving chemotherapy prior to surgery (neoadjuvant chemotherapy) for patients with bladder cancer. However, clinical trials exploring giving chemotherapy after surgery (adjuvant chemotherapy) have been difficult to interpret and many of the trials closed early due to poor accrual without providing an answer.
Lead researcher Matthew Galsky, MD and colleagues used a large database of patients diagnosed with cancer in the United States. Specifically, the study found that patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy after surgical treatment had improved overall survival when compared to patients that received surgical treatment alone with only post-surgical observation.
“Until now, data supporting adjuvant chemotherapy has been mixed,” said lead Dr. Galsky, Associate Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, and Assistant Professor, Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Our analysis of actual cases supports the use of chemotherapy after surgery for patients with locally advanced bladder cancer.”
Of the 5,653 patients analyzed, 1,293 patients received adjuvant chemotherapy versus 4,360 patients who received surgery alone.
“Chemotherapy prior to surgery remains the optimal approach for patients with bladder cancer based on the available evidence. However, population-based observational studies may be used to help fill the knowledge void in situations where clinical trials have not yielded definitive evidence. This comparative effectiveness analysis may help inform the care of patients with bladder cancer who have not received chemotherapy prior to surgery,” Dr. Galsky said.
This study was a collaborative effort by researchers at the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai; Departments of Preventative Medicine and Urology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; and the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, MA.
The findings are included in an abstract featured at the 2015 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium, which is co-sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, and the Society of Urologic Oncology. The Symposium will take place February 26-28 in Orlando.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 43,000 employees working across eight hospitals, over 400 outpatient practices, nearly 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time — discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it.
Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients’ medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes approximately 7,300 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics and top 20 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Children’s Hospitals” ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country’s best in several pediatric specialties.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Scientists Create Most Powerful, Accurate Tool Yet to Research Deadliest Blood Cancer
Apr 18, 2023 View All Press Releases
Study Identifies New Gene That Drives Colon Cancer
Oct 14, 2022 View All Press Releases
Molecular Treatment Is Able to Control Brain Metastasis of Different Tumors
Feb 11, 2022 View All Press Releases
Mount Sinai’s Dubin Breast Center Annual Benefit Raises Over $2.5 Million
Feb 08, 2022 View All Press Releases