Evaluation of response to gemcitabine plus cisplatin-based chemotherapy using positron emission computed tomography for metastatic bladder cancer.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of the present study was to examine retrospectively the contribution of 18 Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography computed tomography (18 FDG-PET/CT) to the evaluation of response to first-line gemcitabine plus cisplatin-based chemotherapy in patients with metastatic bladder cancer.

AIM: To evaluate the response to Gemcitabine plus Cisplatin -based chemotherapy using 18 FDG-PET/CT imaging in patients with metastatic bladder cancer.

METHODS: Between July 2007 and April 2019, 79 patients underwent 18 FDG-PET/CT imaging with the diagnosis of Metastatic Bladder Carcinoma (M-BCa). A total of 42 patients (38 male, 4 female) were included in the study, and all had been administered Gemcitabine plus Cisplatin-based chemotherapy. After completion of the therapy, the patients underwent a repeat 18 FDG-PET/CT scan and the results were compared with the PET/CT findings before chemotherapy according to European Organisation for the Research and treatment of cancer criteria. Mean age was 66.1 years and standard deviation was 10.7 years (range: 41-84 years).

RESULTS: Of the patients, seven (16.6%) were in complete remission, 17 (40.5%) were in partial remission, six (14.3%) had a stable disease, and 12 (28.6%) had a progressive disease. The overall response rate was 57.1 percent.

CONCLUSION: 18 FDG-PET/CT can be considered as a successful imaging tool in evaluating response to first-line chemotherapy for metastatic bladder cancer. Anatomical and functional data obtained from PET/CT scans may be useful in the planning of secondline and thirdline chemotherapy.