Holmium laser treatment under local anaesthesia for recurrent non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer in patients at high perioperative risk


İvelik H. İ., Alkış O., Kartal İ. G., Coşer Ş., Sevim M., Aras B.

BMC UROLOGY, cilt.1, ss.1-14, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 1
  • Basım Tarihi: 2026
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1186/s12894-026-02455-0
  • Dergi Adı: BMC UROLOGY
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Biomedical Reference Collection: Corporate Edition (EBSCO), Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest), Scopus, Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1-14
  • Kütahya Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Abstract Background Repeated transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT) can impose substantial procedural burden in recurrent non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). We evaluated hospital-based holmium laser treatment under local anaesthesia in patients with comorbidity and high perioperative burden. Methods This single-centre retrospective cohort included 155 of 326 patients assessed for local treatment (47.5%), within a screening population of 1,076 patients. Selection combined anaesthetic assessment, shared decision-making and endoscopic suitability, generally requiring no more than five lesions, maximum diameter ≤ 20 mm and cumulative diameter ≤ 40 mm. Follow-up began at the first laser procedure. The primary endpoint was subsequent TURBT under general or neuraxial anaesthesia; oncological outcomes were examined separately by pre-laser disease history. Results Median age was 76 years, and 94.2% were ASA III–IV. During median reverse Kaplan–Meier followup of 4.8 years (observed range 0.80–10.12), 314 laser procedures were recorded. Fifty patients subsequently underwent TURBT. The five-year probability without TURBT was 63.6% (95% CI 54.2–71.5), compared with 90.3% in the Ta low-grade history group and 32.2% in the T1 high-grade/carcinoma in situ group. Recurrence occurred in 94 patients; 47 (50.0%) had no subsequent TURBT. All eight muscle-invasive progressions occurred in the T1 high-grade/carcinoma in situ group. Median index procedure duration was 21 min. Thirty unplanned post-procedural events affected 29 patients, including 11 admissions. Conclusions Local-anaesthetic holmium laser treatment provided a practical option for selected recurrent NMIBC in patients with substantial perioperative burden. Many patients had no subsequent anaesthetised TURBT during follow-up despite recurrence, particularly those with a Ta low-grade history. High-grade/T1/CIS disease followed a less favourable course and requires separate oncological assessment. The findings inform patient selection and counselling within this treatment pathway. Clinical trial number Not applicable.