The natural history of low-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: a collaborative multi-centre study

Background International guidelines vary in terms of their definition and recommendation for management of low-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (LRNMIBC). The ideal management for this large subset of bladder cancer patient remains unclear. Objective To evaluate long-term outcomes of patients with LRNMIBC. As a secondary objective, to assess for intergroup heterogeneity in disease-specific outcomes between G1 and G2LG diseases. Methods A multi-centre, retrospective study of patients who met the 2015 NICE definition of LRNMIBC. Timeline of diagnosis ranged from 01/01/2012 to 30/06/2016. Results A total 390 patients had available follow-up data (G1: 142, G2LG: 249). Over a median follow-up time of 36 months (IQR 25–50), 29.2% of the patients developed a recurrence. G2LG patients were statistically more likely to develop a recurrence (G1: 26.8%, G2LG: 33.7%, p