Prognostic value of renin-angiotensin system blockade in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer

Background. To determine whether the administration of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors, such as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs), affect disease outcome in non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Methods. A total of 330 patients with initially diagnosed NMIBC were identified. We retrospectively investigated the clinical outcomes after transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TUR-BT) in patients who did or did not receive RAS inhibitors. The median follow-up period was 4.1 years. Results. A total of 128 patients (38.8 %) experienced subsequent tumor recurrence, and stage progression was observed in 17 patients (5.2 %) during follow-up. Fifty-one patients (15.5 %) had received ACEI or ARB administration at transurethral resection. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that tumor multiplicity, absence of bacillus Calmette-Guérin instillation, and no administration of ACEI or ARB (P = 0.010, hazard ratio 2.26) were independent risk factors for subsequent tumor recurrence. The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 78.4 % in patients administered ACEIs or ARBs, and 53.3 % in their counterparts (P = 0.011). Conclusions. The absence of RAS inhibitor administration was an independent risk factor for subsequent tumor recurrence in patients with initially diagnosed NMIBC. Our data support further investigation of the role of RAS inhibitors as a potential therapy to decrease tumor recurrence in NMIBC.