Comparison of Pathological Outcome and Recurrence Rate Between En Bloc and Conventional Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor

Bladder cancer that has not invaded the bladder muscle often returns after treatment, creating repeated procedures and ongoing anxiety for patients. The standard initial treatment is transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT), in which visible tumours are removed through a telescope passed into the bladder. Conventional TURBT usually removes the tumour in multiple pieces, which may reduce specimen quality for laboratory assessment and may increase the chance that small tumour fragments remain or spread during removal. En bloc TURBT is a newer technique that aims to remove the tumour in one intact piece, which may improve the quality of the tissue specimen for accurate staging and grading, allow better assessment of surgical margins, and potentially reduce recurrence.

This randomized controlled trial was conducted in the Department of Urology, Lahore General Hospital and PGMI, Lahore. A total of 116 adults (18 to 60 years) with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer were enrolled and randomly assigned to en bloc TURBT or conventional TURBT (58 patients per group). Resected specimens were evaluated by pathologists who was not be informed of the surgical technique. The study was compare key pathological outcomes, including the presence of detrusor muscle in the specimen, histological grade, tumour stage accuracy, specimen integrity, and the ability to assess lateral and deep resection margins. Participants were followed for 15 months, with surveillance at 3-month intervals.