Combined modality treatment with selective bladder conservation for invasive bladder cancer: long-term tolerance in the female patient.

Abstract

This study shows that overall survival is high when chemoradiation and transurethral resection are used in potential bladder-sparing protocols for muscle-invading transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder in women. Furthermore, 67% of the women, including most long-term survivors, retain their bladders. The functional quality of the conserved organ, the rectum, and the vagina, as reported by the patients, was excellent.