Effect of transurethral holmium laser enucleation versus transurethral resection of bladder tumor in treating non-muscle invasive bladder cancer

Objective To compare the curative effect of transurethral holmium laser resection of bladder tumor (HOLRBT) and transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) on non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

Methods A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 93 patients with NMIBC. According to different surgical methods, they were divided into HOLRBT group (42 cases) and TURBT group(51 cases). The perioperative indexes, levels of tumor-related factorsvascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), insulin-like growth factor-Ⅰ (IGF-Ⅰ) before and after surgery, incidence of complications, recurrence rate and disease-free survival rate during follow-up were compared between the two groups.

Results Compared with group TURBT, HOLRBT group had shorter operation time, hospital stay, less intraoperative blood loss, and higher hospitalization costs (P < 0.05). At 7 days after surgery, the levels of VEGF and IGF-Ⅰ in the HOLRBT group were lower than those in the TURBT group (P < 0.05). During follow-up, incidence of complications and recurrence rate in the HOLRBT group were 4.76% and 11.90%, which were lower than 19.61% and 33.33% in the TURBT group, and disease-free survival rate in the HOLRBT group was higher than 54.76% and 31.37% in the TURBT group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion Compared with TURBT, HOLRBT can improve intraoperative indexes, inhibit expressions of carcinogenic factors, reduce risk of complications and recurrence rate, and increase disease-free survival rate in treating NMIBC.