Context
Bladder cancer therapy remains suboptimal as the morbidity and
mortality remains high amongst those with non-muscle invasive and
muscle-invasive disease. Regional hyperthermia therapy (RHT) is a promising
adjunctive therapy being tested in multiple clinical contexts.
Objective
To systematically review the literature on the efficacy and toxicity
of RHT.
Evidence Acquisition
The systematic review was registered with the PROSPERO database
(Registration number: CRD42015025780) and was conducted according to the
Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)
guidelines. We queried PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane libraries. Two reviewers
reviewed abstracts independently and a third reviewer arbitrated
disagreements. The last search was performed on August 28, 2015. A
descriptive analysis was performed and quality assessment was conducted
using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale for observational
studies, and the Cochrane Risk of Bias Assessment Tool for trials.
Evidence Synthesis
We identified 859 publications in the initial search, of which 24 met
inclusion criteria for full-text review. Of these, we were able to obtain
data on the outcomes of interest for 15 publications.
Conclusions
The review underscores the limited nature of the evidence; definitive
conclusions are elusive. However, the promising results of RHT in the
setting of intravesical chemotherapy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy show a
trend towards legitimate efficacy.