Narrow Band Imaging reduces persistence of cancer in patients with pT1 high grade bladder cancer

Purpose: To evaluate persistence rate on repeated transurethral resection of the bladder (re-TURB) 6 weeks after the first TURB in patients with pT1HG disease undergoing resection of the margins and bed on Narrow Band Imaging. Materials and methods: A consecutive series of patients undergoing TURB and a diagnosis of pT1 high grade disease were prospectively enrolled. On initial TURB patients underwent classic white light resection of the tumour followed by narrow band image (NBI) resection of margins and bed. After 6 weeks from the initial TURB, patients underwent a re-TURB under white light. Persistence rates on re-TURB were recorded. Results: Overall 797 patients underwent TURB, out of them 126 patients with pT1 high grade disease were included in the study. The total number of lesions was 226 meaning 1.79 lesions per patient. On re-TURB 24/126 (19%) of the patients presented residual disease with a total of 28/226 (12%) lesions identified. All these patients presented a pTa residual disease. Out of them 8/21 (38%) presented bladder cancer on the resection bed and 13/21 (62%) presented bladder cancer on margins. Conclusion: Narrow Band Imaging trans-urethral resection of the bladder is an oncological effective procedure in the treatment of pT1HG disease. The procedure has a 19% of persistence rate which is inferior when compared to the available evidence on white light TURB. Further multicenter studies are needed in order to validate our results.