The economic benefit of photodynamic diagnosis in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer

Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer is the most expensive cancer to manage on a per patient basis due to the high recurrence rate, low mortality and the need for long term, often lifelong surveillance. Current white-light endoscopic surgery leads to a significant number of patients having “recurrent” cancer at their first follow-up cystoscopy. The introduction of a single dose of intravesical chemotherapy immediately after the initial resection has helped to reduce the recurrence rate but it can be toxic and should not be administered to patients with potential bladder perforations after transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT). Photodynamic diagnosis cystoscopy has been shown to significantly improve the quality of the initial TURBT leading to a 20% reduction in tumour recurrences at 3 months. This benefit is sustained for at least 8 years, leading to a reduction in further invasive procedures and treatment. Despite the initial increased cost related to introducing a photodynamic diagnosis service there is clearly long-term significant cost savings to be made, as well as improving the patient experience and quality of life.