The value of transurethral thulium laser en bloc resection combined with a single immediate postoperative intravesical instillation of pirarubicin in primary non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer

The objective of this study was to evaluate which patients might benefit from a single immediate postoperative intravesical instillation (SII) compared to maintenance intravesical instillations (MII) in primary non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) after transurethral en bloc resection of bladder tumors (ERBT). A total of 141 patients with primary NMIBC who underwent ERBT with thulium laser between January 2012 and May 2016 were retrospectively enrolled. All the patients were categorized into two groups based on the duration of postoperative intravesical instillation of pirarubicin (THP): single intravesical instillation (SII) group, patients received a single immediate postoperative intravesical instillation of THP (30 mg), and maintenance intravesical instillations (MII) group, patients received a 1-year MII of THP (30 mg). Prognosis and recurrence data of each group were analyzed. One hundred and four (73.8%) patients received MII, and other 37 (26.2%) patients received SII. There was no significant difference in recurrence-free survival (RFS) between the two groups (P = 0.105). Following recurrence risk-stratified analysis, patients with high recurrence risk who accepted SII had a significantly lower RFS rate than those who received MII (P = 0.027). However, there were no significant differences in RFS rate between the two groups in patients with low and intermediate recurrence risk. In the multivariate analysis, the number of tumors was found to be an independent prognostic factor for RFS in NMIBC patients [hazard ratio, 5.665; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.577–12.454; P < 0.001]. SII seems not to be inferior to MII in patients with initial low-risk and intermediate-risk NMIBC after ERBT.