Abstract:

Objective: Bladder cancer is most commonly observed in elderly patients. In these patients, it is not always possible to give the necessary treatment for the disease. In this study, definitive radiotherapy (RT) or chemoradiotherapy (CRT) results and side effects, as well as prognostic factors, were investigated in elderly bladder cancer patients. Method: The results of 36 elderly patients who received definitive RT or CRT for bladder cancer between the years 2010–2018 in Sivas Oncology Center of Cumhuriyet University Medical Faculty were analyzed retrospectively. Results: The median age of the patients was 75 (range, 65–84). Sixteen patients (44%) underwent RT without chemotherapy and 20 patients (56%) received CRT. Complete response was detected in 19 (53%) patients. The median survival was 18 months (range 3–102 months) and the overall 2-year survival rate was 37%. Treatment response (p < .001) and performance status of the patients (p = .001) were found to be statistically significant prognostic factors in patients' survival. However, sex, comorbidity, Charlson Comorbidity index, risk groups, treatment modality (RT vs. CRT), presence of in situ, grade, status of tumor foci (unifocal vs. multifocal), degree of tumor resection in transurethral resection of the bladder (TUR-B, complete vs. incomplete resection), chemotherapy after CRT, concurrent chemotherapy regimen (ciplatin vs.gemcitabine), RT dose (< 60 Gy vs. ≥60 Gy), and the device used in RT (linac vs. TomoTherapy) were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Good performance and completed response to treatment in elderly bladder cancer patients positively affects survival.

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