Two Micrometer Continuous-Wave Thulium Laser Treating Primary Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Is It Feasible? A Randomized Prospective Study.

Background And Objective: Until now, various laser types have been used in the treatment of bladder cancer. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of 2 μm continuous-wave (CW) thulium laser in treating primary non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

Methods: A comparative (randomized prospective) interventional study was conducted in our center. A total of 400 patients with Ta or T1 bladder cancer were enrolled and randomized to transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) or laser vaporesection (LVRBT). Patients in the TURBT group received standard transurethral resection with a bipolar electrocautery system, while those in the LVRBT group received transurethral vaporesction with a 2 μm CW thulium laser. All patients received intravesical irrigation with sterile water for at least 12 h immediately after the procedure. The end-points of this study were tumor recurrence and/or progression, or the completion of 36 months of follow-up (10 cystoscopies) with no recurrence.

Results: A total of 292 patients were included in our analysis, of whom 143 received TURBT and 149 received LVRBT. During 36 months of follow-up, 129 cases (44.2%) had recurrence: 61 (42.7%) in the TURBT group and 68 (45.6%) in the LVRBT group (p = 0.608). Tumor progression was found in 19 patients (6.5%): 11 in the TURBT (7.7%) and 8 (5.4%) in the LVRBT group (p = 0.421). Median tumor-free survival was 25.2 months (25.46 in the TURBT group vs. 24.9 in the LVRBT group, p = 0.729). Overall recurrence rate was 14.7%, 42.1%, and 62.5% in the low, intermediate low, and intermediate high risk subgroups, respectively. Operation time was significantly lower in the TURBT than in the LVRBT group (28.43 vs. 31.5 min, p = 0.044).

Conclusions: Use of a 2 μm CW thulium laser is feasible and effective in treating primary NMIBC. With a cystoscopic biopsy of the bladder muscle, 2 μm CW thulium laser could retrieve sufficient diagnostic and prognostic specimens.