Gemcitabine Versus Water Irrigation in Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma

Recruiting now · Phase 3

Conditions studied: Urothelial Cancer of Renal Pelvis, Urothelial Carcinoma Ureter

In brief

There is a high rate of intravesical (bladder) recurrence following extirpative surgery for upper tract urothelial carcinoma. There is no single established standard of care for prevention of intravesical recurrence; however, one protocol in common use involves the use of intravesical gemcitabine instilled into the bladder during surgery and prior to entry into the bladder. There are barriers to the use of gemcitabine, especially at lower volume centers. Some evidence suggests that intravesical irrigation with sterile water has equivalent efficacy to intravesical chemotherapy in prevention of recurrent bladder cancer following transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT). This study is intended to compare recurrence rates using intravesical gemcitabine (as a pseudo-standard of care) and continuous bladder irrigation with sterile water.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT04865939

Run by

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

People needed

132

Starts

2021-11-29

Expected to finish

2031-11-01

Last updated by the study team

2025-07-17

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 90. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Biopsy proven UTUC with plan for excisional surgery (distal ureterectomy or nephroureterectomy) with curative intent
• Age 18 - 90 years
• Life expectancy > 1 year
• Women of child-bearing potential and men must agree to use adequate contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study entry, for the duration of study participation, and for 90 days following completion of therapy. Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while participating in this study, she should inform her treating physician immediately.
• A female of child-bearing potential is any woman (regardless of sexual orientation, having undergone a tubal ligation, or remaining celibate by choice) who meets the following criteria:
• Has not undergone a hysterectomy or bilateral oophorectomy; or
• Has not been naturally postmenopausal for at least 12 consecutive months (i.e., has had menses at any time in the preceding 12 consecutive months).
• Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent.

You may not qualify if…

• Concurrent or prior diagnosis of bladder cancer with a disease-free interval of less than three years.
• Synchronous bilateral upper tract urothelial carcinoma (prior history of contralateral UTUC is permissible with a disease-free interval of more than three years).
• Plan for radical cystectomy.
• Small bladder capacity (< 100 mL).
• History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic composition to gemcitabine or other agents used in study.

Where it is running

• University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center — Dallas, Texas, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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