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Hexaminolevulinate: a profile of its use with blue-light cystoscopy in the diagnosis of bladder cancer

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Abstract

Hexaminolevulinate [Cysview® (USA); Hexvix® (EU)], an ester derivative of 5-aminolevulinate, is a valuable option for the diagnosis of bladder cancer when used in conjunction with blue-light (BL) cystoscopy. In clinical trials, the addition of hexaminolevulinate-guided BL cystoscopy to white-light (WL) cystoscopy was generally better at detecting non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer lesions than WL cystoscopy alone, as assessed by a number of endpoints (e.g. increased number and rate of lesion detection), leading to increased rates of complete treatment decisions. Add-on hexaminolevulinate-guided BL cystoscopy reduced tumour recurrence rates relative to WL cystoscopy alone in follow-up studies and, although further studies are needed, may potentially improve survival-related outcomes. Hexaminolevulinate is generally very well tolerated when used to guide BL cystoscopy, with the most common adverse events (i.e. haematuria, dysuria, pain and bladder spasm) being expected as a consequence of the resection procedure.

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Acknowledgements

The manuscript was reviewed by: S. Brookman-May, Department of Urology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich Grosshadern, Munich, Germany; P. Mariappan, Edinburgh Urological Cancer Group, Department of Urology, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, UK. During the peer review process, the marketing authorization holder of hexaminolevulinate was also offered an opportunity to review this article. Changes resulting from comments received were made on the basis of scientific and editorial merit.

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    Katherine A. Lyseng-Williamson

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K.A. Lyseng-Williamson is an employee of Adis/Springer, are responsible for the article content and declare no conflicts of interest.

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Lyseng-Williamson, K.A. Hexaminolevulinate: a profile of its use with blue-light cystoscopy in the diagnosis of bladder cancer. Drugs Ther Perspect 33, 463–472 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40267-017-0436-4

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