Multiparametric MRI Expedites Treatment in Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer

FRIDAY, Jan. 24, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Incorporating multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) for initial staging can reduce the time to correct treatment (TTCT) for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC), according to a study published online Jan. 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Richard T. Bryan, Ph.D., from the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, and colleagues conducted a prospective open-label randomized study within 17 U.K. hospitals involving patients with suspected new bladder cancer who were randomly assigned to transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT)-staged or mpMRI-staged care to examine whether treatment could be expedited for MIBC with mpMRI.

A total of 638 patients were screened between May 31, 2018, and Dec. 31, 2021, and 143 were randomly assigned to TURBT or initial mpMRI (72 and 71, respectively). Thirty-six of 39 participants with suspected MIBC underwent mpMRI for feasibility. The researchers found that for participants with MIBC, the median TTCT was significantly shorter with initial mpMRI (53 days versus 98 days for TURBT). No detriment was seen for participants with non-MIBC (median TTCT, 17 days for mpMRI versus 14 days for TURBT). There were no reports of serious adverse events.

“Incorporating mpMRI ahead of TURBT into the standard pathway was beneficial for all patients with suspected MIBC. TURBT could be avoided in a proportion of these patients,” the authors write. “This approach can improve decision-making and accelerate time to treatment.”

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text