S0337, Gemcitabine After Surgery in Treating Patients With Newly Diagnosed or Recurrent Bladder Cancer
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00445601 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : March 9, 2007
Results First Posted : April 24, 2018
Last Update Posted : January 18, 2020
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RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving gemcitabine directly into the bladder after surgery may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether giving gemcitabine directly into the bladder is more effective than a placebo in treating bladder cancer.
PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying gemcitabine to see how well it works when given directly into the bladder compared with a placebo after surgery in treating patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent bladder cancer.
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Bladder Cancer | Drug: gemcitabine hydrochloride Other: placebo | Phase 3 |
OBJECTIVES:
Primary
- Compare the efficacy of a single intravesical instillation of gemcitabine hydrochloride vs placebo immediately after transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT) in preventing recurrence at 2 years in patients with grade 1 or 2 superficial transitional cell cancer of the bladder.
Secondary
- Compare whether a single instillation of intravesical gemcitabine hydrochloride can improve the time to progression to muscle invasive disease vs placebo in these patients.
- Compare the qualitative and quantitative toxicities of these regimens in these patients.
- Compare whether treatment with post-TURBT intravesical instillation of gemcitabine vs placebo results in reduced long-term morbidity in patients, as defined by requirement for fewer TURBTs, courses of traditional intravesical therapies, and surveillance cystoscopies over 4 years.
Tertiary
- Assess whether performing a combination of molecular and/or cytologic diagnostic marker tests, including NMP-22 Bladder Chek and BTA Stat every 3 months, can predict recurrence as accurately as cystoscopy alone in these patients.
OUTLINE: This is a randomized, double-blind, multicenter study. Patients are stratified according to disease status (first occurrence vs recurrent disease) and number of tumor sites (1 vs ≥ 2). Patients are randomized to 1 of 2 treatment arms.
All patients undergo transurethral resection of the bladder tumor. Within 3 hours, patients receive intravesical therapy according to their randomized arm.
- Arm I: Patients receive intravesical gemcitabine hydrochloride over 1 hour.
- Arm II: Patients receive intravesical placebo over 1 hour. Urine is collected at baseline and then every 3 months for 2 years for research studies including the NMP-22 Bladder Chek and BTA Stat test.
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed every 3 months for 2 years and then every 6 months for 2 years.
PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 340 patients will be accrued for this study.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 406 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Quadruple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | A Phase III Blinded Study of Immediate Post TURBT Instillation of Gemcitabine Versus Saline in Patients With Newly Diagnosed or Occasionally Recurring Grade I/II Superficial Bladder Cancer |
Study Start Date : | September 2007 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | June 2017 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | June 2017 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: Arm I
Patients receive intravesical gemcitabine hydrochloride over 1 hour.
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Drug: gemcitabine hydrochloride
Given intravesically |
Placebo Comparator: Arm II
Patients receive intravesical placebo over 1 hour.
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Other: placebo
Given intravesically |
- Disease Recurrence Rate [ Time Frame: Up to 2 Years ]Percentage of patients who experienced a recurrence of grade 1 or 2 superficial transitional cell cancer of the bladder between the date of registration and 24 months. Disease recurrence considered to occur at date of first observation of recurrent disease subsequently confirmed by biopsy. Patients without recurrence were censored at the time of their last cystoscopy.
- Rate of Progression to Muscle Invasive Disease at 4 Years [ Time Frame: 4 years ]From date of registration to date of diagnosis of progressive disease. Censor at date of last disease assessment for those without progression.
- Compare Qualitative and Quantitative Toxicities Between the Treatment Arms [ Time Frame: Up to 4 years after Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT) ]Number of patients with Grade 3 through Grade 5 adverse events that are related to study drug
- Rate of Disease Worsening Over 2 Years [ Time Frame: Up to 2 years ]Compare whether treatment with post-TURBT intravesical instillation of gemcitabine vs placebo results in reduced long-term morbidity in patients, as defined by requirement for fewer TURBTs, courses of traditional intravesical therapies, and surveillance cystoscopies over 4 years.

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years to 120 Years (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:
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Diagnosis of newly diagnosed or recurrent transitional cell bladder cancer meeting the following criteria:
- Ta or T1 primary tumor
- Grade 1 or 2 disease
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No more than 2 recurrences (except for index tumor) within the 18 months prior to the index tumor's transurethral resection of the bladder tumor (TURBT)
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Index tumor post-TURBT must meet the following criteria:
- Ta or T1 tumor without any prior tumor in situ, grade 3 (high grade) disease within 2 years prior to index tumor TURBT, or invasion of the muscularis propria (stage ≥ T2)
- Grade 1 or 2 disease (similar to papillary urothelial neoplasm of low malignant potential and low-grade bladder cancer)
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- Not a candidate for a therapy other than TURBT (e.g., a series of instillations of intravesical immunotherapy [e.g., BCG] or intravesical chemotherapy, or cystectomy or partial cystectomy)
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Negative upper tract imaging studies within 1 year (365 days) prior to study entry
- Imaging studies may be performed after registration provided it is done prior to TURBT on the day of treatment
- No urothelial cancer of the prostate or more distal urethra (or urethra at all in women) as assessed by endoscopy
- Must have a negative urine culture (less than or equal to 10,000 col/mL, mixed flora-likely contamination) OR negative urine analysis for infection AND negative nitrates on reagent strip, ≤ 10 white blood cell count (WBC)/high-power field, and no rods or organisms on examination of spun urine sediment OR an automated or visual reagent strip urinalysis that is negative for leukocytes and nitrates within the past 28 days
- TURBT planned within the next 28 days and planned treatment within 3 hours after TURBT
PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:
- Zubrod performance status 0-1
- Not pregnant or nursing
- Fertile patients must use effective contraception
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No other prior malignancy except for any of the following:
- Adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer
- In situ cervical cancer
- Adequately treated stage I or II cancer from which patient is in complete remission
- Any other cancer from which patient has been disease-free for 3 years
PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:
- See Disease Characteristics
- More than 145 days since prior intravesical therapy

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00445601

Study Chair: | Edward M. Messing, MD, FACS | James P. Wilmot Cancer Center | |
Study Chair: | Deepak M. Sahasrabudhe, MD | James P. Wilmot Cancer Center | |
Study Chair: | Theresa M. Koppie, MD | Oregon Health and Science University | |
Study Chair: | David P. Wood, MD | Beaumont Physician Partners |
Documents provided by SWOG Cancer Research Network:
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Responsible Party: | SWOG Cancer Research Network |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00445601 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
CDR0000534235 S0337 ( Other Identifier: SWOG ) U10CA032102 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract ) |
First Posted: | March 9, 2007 Key Record Dates |
Results First Posted: | April 24, 2018 |
Last Update Posted: | January 18, 2020 |
Last Verified: | January 2020 |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | Yes |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder stage 0 bladder cancer stage I bladder cancer recurrent bladder cancer |
Urinary Bladder Neoplasms Urologic Neoplasms Urogenital Neoplasms Neoplasms by Site Neoplasms Female Urogenital Diseases Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications Urogenital Diseases |
Urinary Bladder Diseases Urologic Diseases Male Urogenital Diseases Gemcitabine Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic Antimetabolites Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action Antineoplastic Agents |