TY - JOUR T1 - Outcomes of BCG Therapy in Patients with High and Very High-Risk Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Reassessing EAU Risk Stratification TT - Yüksek ve Çok Yüksek Riskli Kasa İnvaziv Olmayan Mesane Kanserli Hastalarda BCG Tedavisinin Sonuçları: EAU Risk Sınıflandırmasının Yeniden Değerlendirilmesi AU - İplikçi, Ayberk AU - Arıkan, Özgür AU - Kazan, Hüseyin Özgür AU - Keleş, Ahmet AU - Keser, Ferhat AU - Hamıdzada, Ilkın AU - Çakıcı, Mehmet Çağlar AU - Çulpan, Meftun AU - Yıldırım, Asıf PY - 2025 DA - October Y2 - 2025 DO - 10.33719/nju1721821 JF - The New Journal of Urology JO - New J Urol PB - Ali İhsan TAŞÇI WT - DergiPark SN - 3023-6940 SP - 166 EP - 174 VL - 20 IS - 3 LA - en AB - Objective: To evaluate the oncologic outcomes of high-risk (HR) and very high-risk (VHR) non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients treated with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immunotherapy and assess the new European Association of Urology (EAU) risk stratification.Material and Methods: This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from 211 HR and VHR NMIBC patients treated with BCG therapy between January 2015 and January 2024. Risk stratification was performed using the EAU NMIBC risk calculator. Recurrence, progression, recurrence-free survival (RFS), and progression-free survival (PFS) were assessed.Results: The cohort comprised 144 (68.2%) HR and 67 (31.8%) VHR patients. The VHR group had significantly more adverse pathological features (larger and multiple tumors, higher pT stage, CIS, variant histology, lymphovascular invasion, tumor necrosis). While there was no significant difference in overall recurrence (33.3% vs. 37.3%, p=0.572) or progression rates (10.4% vs. 9%, p=0.741) between HR and VHR groups, the 5-year RFS was significantly lower in the VHR (56% vs. 75%, p=0.003). The 5-year PFS was similar between the groups (86% vs 91%, p=0.311).Conclusion: In spite of the fact that the VHR group presented with more aggressive tumor characteristics, BCG therapy resulted in similar overall progression rates compared to the HR group. These findings suggest that the EAU risk stratification may overestimate the risk of progression in BCG-treated patients, particularly those classified as VHR, and that BCG remains a valuable treatment option even in this population. KW - Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) therapy KW - EAU risk stratification KW - non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) N2 - Amaç: Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) immünoterapisi ile tedavi edilen yüksek riskli (HR) ve çok yüksek riskli (VHR) kasa invaziv olmayan mesane kanseri (NMIBC) hastalarının onkolojik sonuçlarını değerlendirmek ve yeni Avrupa Üroloji Birliği (EAU) risk sınıflandırmasını değerlendirmek.Yöntemler: Bu retrospektif kohort çalışmada Ocak 2015 ile Ocak 2024 arasında BCG tedavisi gören 211 HR ve VHR NMIBC hastasından alınan veriler analiz edildi. Risk sınıflandırması EAU NMIBC risk hesaplayıcısı kullanılarak yapıldı. Nüks, progresyon, nükssüz sağkalım (RFS) ve progresyonsuz sağkalım (PFS) değerlendirildi.Bulgular: Kohort 144 (%68,2) HR ve 67 (%31,8) VHR hastasından oluşuyordu. VHR grubunda önemli ölçüde daha fazla olumsuz patolojik özellik vardı (daha büyük ve çoklu tümörler, daha yüksek pT evresi, CIS, varyant histoloji, lenfovasküler invazyon, tümör nekrozu). HR ve VHR grupları arasında genel nüks (33,3% - 37,3%, p=0,572) veya progresyon oranlarında (%10,4 - 9%, p=0,741) önemli bir fark bulunmazken, 5 yıllık RFS VHR'de önemli ölçüde daha düşüktü (%56 - %75, p=0,003). 5 yıllık PFS gruplar arasında benzerdi (%86 - %91, p=0,311).Sonuç: VHR grubu daha agresif tümör özellikleri gösterse de, BCG tedavisi HR grubuyla karşılaştırıldığında benzer genel ilerleme oranlarıyla sonuçlandı. Bu bulgular, EAU risk sınıflandırmasının BCG ile tedavi edilen hastalarda, özellikle VHR olarak sınıflandırılanlarda ilerleme riskini abartmış olabileceğini ve BCG'nin bu popülasyonda bile değerli bir tedavi seçeneği olmaya devam ettiğini düşündürmektedir. CR - 1. Burger M, Catto JW, Dalbagni G, et al. Epidemiology and risk factors of urothelial bladder cancer. Eur Urol. 2013;63(2):234-241. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. eururo.2012.07.033 CR - 2. Compérat E, Larré S, Roupret M, et al. Clinicopathological characteristics of urothelial bladder cancer in patients less than 40 years old. Virchows Arch. 2015;466(5):589- 594. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00428-015-1739-2 CR - 3. Cambier S, Sylvester RJ, Collette L, et al. EORTC Nomograms and Risk Groups for Predicting Recurrence, Progression, and Disease-specific and Overall Survival in Non-Muscle-invasive Stage Ta-T1 Urothelial Bladder Cancer Patients Treated with 1-3 Years of Maintenance Bacillus Calmette-Guérin. Eur Urol. 2016;69(1):60-69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2015.06.045 CR - 4. Sylvester RJ, Rodríguez O, Hernández V, et al. Erratum to “European Association of Urology (EAU) Prognostic Factor Risk Groups for Non-muscleinvasive Bladder Cancer (NMIBC) Incorporating the WHO 2004/2016 and WHO 1973 Classification Systems for Grade: An Update from the EAU NMIBC Guidelines Panel” [Eur. Urol. 79(4) (2021) 480-488]. Eur Urol. 2023;83(5):e140-e141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. eururo.2023.02.007 CR - 5. Babjuk M, Burger M, Capoun O, et al. European Association of Urology Guidelines on Non-muscleinvasive Bladder Cancer (Ta, T1, and Carcinoma in Situ). Eur Urol. 2022;81(1):75-94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2021.08.010 CR - 6. Lamm DL, Blumenstein BA, Crissman JD, Montie JE, Gottesman JE, Lowe BA, Sarosdy MF, Bohl RD, Grossman HB, Beck TM, Leimert JT, Crawford ED. Maintenance bacillus Calmette-Guerin immunotherapy for recurrent TA, T1 and carcinoma in situ transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder: a randomized Southwest Oncology Group Study. J Urol. 2000 Apr;163(4):1124-9. CR - 7. Kamat AM, Sylvester RJ, Böhle A, et al. Definitions, End Points, and Clinical Trial Designs for NonMuscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Recommendations From the International Bladder Cancer Group. J Clin Oncol. 2016;34(16):1935-1944. https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.2015.64.4070 CR - 8. Sylvester RJ, Brausi MA, Kirkels WJ, et al. Longterm efficacy results of EORTC genito-urinary group randomized phase 3 study 30911 comparing intravesical instillations of epirubicin, bacillus Calmette-Guérin, and bacillus Calmette-Guérin plus isoniazid in patients with intermediate- and high-risk stage Ta T1 urothelial carcinoma of the bladder. Eur Urol. 2010;57(5):766-773. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eururo.2009.12.024 CR - 9. Schmidt S, Kunath F, Coles B, et al. Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guérin versus mitomycin C for Ta and T1 bladder cancer. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2020;1(1):CD011935. Published 2020 Jan 8. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD011935.pub2 CR - 10. Lobo N, Hensley PJ, Bree KK, et al. Updated European Association of Urology (EAU) Prognostic Factor Risk Groups Overestimate the Risk of Progression in Patients with Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer Treated with Bacillus Calmette-Guérin. Eur Urol Oncol. 2022;5(1):84- 91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euo.2021.11.006 CR - 11. Ślusarczyk A, Garbas K, Pustuła P, Zapała Ł, Radziszewski P. Assessing the Predictive Accuracy of EORTC, CUETO and EAU Risk Stratification Models for High-Grade Recurrence and Progression after Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Therapy in NonMuscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer. Cancers (Basel). 2024;16(9):1684. Published 2024 Apr 26. https://doi. org/10.3390/cancers16091684 CR - 12. Contieri R, Hurle R, Paciotti M, et al. Accuracy of the European Association of Urology (EAU) NMIBC 2021 scoring model in predicting progression in a large cohort of HG T1 NMIBC patients treated with BCG. Minerva Urol Nephrol. 2023;75(2):180-187. https://doi. org/10.23736/S2724-6051.22.04953-9 CR - 13. Krajewski W, Aumatell J, Subiela JD, et al. Accuracy of the CUETO, EORTC 2016 and EAU 2021 scoring models and risk stratification tables to predict outcomes in high-grade non-muscle-invasive urothelial bladder cancer. Urol Oncol. 2022;40(11):491.e11-491.e19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urolonc.2022.06.008 CR - 14. Fernandez-Gomez J, Madero R, Solsona E, et al. Predicting nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer recurrence and progression in patients treated with bacillus Calmette-Guerin: the CUETO scoring model. J Urol. 2009;182(5):2195-2203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. juro.2009.07.016 UR - https://doi.org/10.33719/nju1721821 L1 - https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/4968697 ER -