This site is intended for UK healthcare professionals
Medscape UK Univadis Logo
Medscape UK Univadis Logo
News

NICE opinion on intravesical hyperthermia and chemotherapy for bladder cancer

NICE has issued new recommendations on the use of intravesical microwave hyperthermia and chemotherapy for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

The new guidance states that evidence shows the treatment is associated with well-recognised adverse events and current evidence on its efficacy is limited in quality. Hence, the agency says the procedure should only be used with special arrangements for clinical governance, consent, and audit or research.

Clinicians wishing to perform the procedure must inform the clinical governance leads in their NHS trusts and ensure that patients and carers understand the uncertainty about the procedure's safety and efficacy, and are informed about alternative treatments.

All clinical outcomes should be audited and reviewed. NICE has identified relevant audit criteria and has developed an audit tool for use at local discretion.

NICE also advises that patient selection should be by a specialist bladder cancer multidisciplinary team and the procedure should only be carried out in specialist centres by clinicians who have had supervised training in performing the procedure.

The recommendations were informed by a rapid review of published literature on the efficacy and safety of the procedure which comprised evidence from seven sources. Three literature reviews, two randomised controlled trials, and one case series were included. Twelve commentaries from patients who had experience of this procedure were also received and considered as part of the guidance development process.

NICE is encouraging further research on the treatment and says it may review its opinion on procedure when further evidence is published.


References


YOU MAY ALSO LIKE