Selective organ preservation for the treatment of muscle-invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder: a review of current and future perspectives.

Radical treatment remains underutilized for those with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Radical radiotherapy, in particular, continues to be perceived by many as reserved only for patients unfit for cystectomy. However, with concurrent use of radiosensitizers, radiotherapy can achieve excellent local control and survival comparable to modern surgical series, thus presenting a real alternative to surgery. The possibility of further enhancing patient outcome is likely to come from both advances in radiotherapy treatment delivery and appropriate candidate selection. Growing evidence from selective bladder preservation trials demonstrate long term survival with functional organ preservation. In the era of personalized medicine, we review the evidence supporting an individualized treatment approach, in particular case selection for radical radiotherapy.