Bladder cancer: diagnosis and management

Recommendation ID: NG2/4
Question: In patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer suitable for radical treatment, does the use of
biomarkers enable patients to select more effective treatment, and improve their outcomes,
compared with treatment selected without biomarkers?
Any explanatory notes (if applicable): Response to surgery or radiotherapy is difficult to predict for individuals. There is variation not only
in the cure rates for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with either surgery or
radiotherapy, but also in the side effects experienced during and after treatment. The usefulness of current biomarkers in predicting treatment outcomes for individual patients has not been clearly
established. Currently treatment decisions are based on patient-related factors, and patient and
clinician preference. Research into biomarkers that can predict the response of the patient's
muscle-invasive bladder cancer to either radiotherapy or surgery could help individual patients and
clinicians decide which treatment is more suitable and is considered an important step toward
individualised treatment.

Source guidance details

Is this a recommendation for the use of a technology only in the context of research?	No
Is it a recommendation that suggests collection of data or the establishment of a register?	No
Last Reviewed	23/04/2015