Chlorin e6-polyvinylpyrrolidone mediated photodynamic therapy—A potential bladder sparing option for high risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer

SummaryBackgroundBladder sparing treatment options for high risk non-muscle invasive blader cancer (NMIBC) after intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) failure are limited.ObjectiveTo evaluate photodynamic therapy (PDT) using chlorin e6-polyvinylpyrrolidone (Ce6-PVP) as a bladder sparing therapy for NMIBC refractory to intravesical BCG therapy.Materials and methodsBetween July 2004 and June 2009, patients with recurrent NMIBC after induction intravesical BCG therapy were treated with PDT performed with a 665 nm laser and light dosimetry of 10–24 J/cm2. The patients underwent cystoscopic surveillance for tumour recurrence post PDT. Post treatment lower urinary tract symptoms and bladder capacity were also monitored. Serum and urine samples were collected for spectrometric quantification of photosensitizer levels.ResultsFive patients underwent PDT, with a total of seven treatments performed. One patient received intravenous Ce6-PVP, while the rest received intravesical Ce6-PVP.The median age was 80 years (mean 79 years, range 72–88 years). There were three patients with primary CIS of the bladder and two with T1 high grade TCC and CIS of the bladder. At a median follow-up of 29 months (mean 25 months, range 6–36 months), two patients were disease free, two patients developed recurrence and one patient progressed to muscle invasive disease. There were no immediate adverse effects. The patient receiving intravenous Ce6-PVP developed an enterovesical fistula 16 months post PDT.ConclusionsDespite being a small pilot study, intravesical Ce6-PVP mediated PDT is a feasible bladder sparing treatment option for recurrent high risk non-muscle invasive bladder carcinoma in selected individuals.