A combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy have found success in treating advanced bladder cancer during a small clinical trial held at Essex County Hospital in Cholchester, England.
Between August 2001 and April 2008, the study examined 35 patients who were suffering from advanced bladder cancer. Doctors found that combining the treatments showed similar results to cystectomy, or bladder removal surgery. This is groundbreaking for older patients who may not be able to survive such an invasive surgery.
The findings, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that combining the two therapies can significantly improve five-year survival rates over using radiotherapy alone. Patients who received only radiotherapy had a 35% survival rate. Using both treatments together, patients’ chances of survival improved to 48%.
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