Adjuvant radiotherapy after radical cystectomy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Objectives. - Locoregional relapse (LRR) after cystectomy is a common early event associated with poor prognosis. The role of radiotherapy as an adjunct to radical cystectomy is not well defined. The aim of this critical literature review is to provide an overview of the elements in favor of adjuvant radiation for patients treated for muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Material and methods. - An exhaustive review of the literature was carried out using the Pubmed search tool with the following keywords: "radiotherapy'' [Mesh], "adjuvant'' [Mesh], "local recurrence'' [Mesh], "Bladder cancer'' [Mesh]. Results. - Several recent publications have led to the development of a nomogram that predicts the risk of LRR, in order to identify patients for which adjuvant radiotherapy could be beneficial. Several randomized trials seem to suggest a benefit of radiotherapy, in particular when combined with chemotherapy, in terms of reducing LRR, and may even improve over all survival, with good safety profile. However, there are many biases and the interest of adjuvant radiotherapy in urothelial carcinomas remains debated. Conclusion. - Prospective trials evaluating adjuvant radiotherapy with current techniques should be undertaken. (C) 2020 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.