Commentary: underutilization of curative-intent therapy for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer in Sweden mimics the United States

Patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) have a narrow window of cure that requires aggressive treatment in order to attempt to achieve cure. Guidelines recommend the use of curative intent therapy (CIT) involving radical cystectomy (RC) with pelvic lymph node dissection and neoadjuvant chemotherapy for those eligible for cisplatin. Alternative treatments, such as partial cystectomy or chemoradiation, are indicated for patients who are medically unfit for RC, for patients who decline RC, or in select patients with favorable tumors who desire bladder preservation (1,2).