Cancer ResearchBlue Light Surgery Cuts Bladder Cancer Recurrence by Up to 32% in High-Risk Patients
A 2026 Cochrane systematic review pooled 17 randomized controlled trials involving 4,890 patients to compare blue light versus white light transurethral resection of bladder tumors (TURBT). Blue light TURBT uses a photosensitizing agent instilled into the bladder, causing cancer cells to fluoresce red, enabling more complete tumor removal. The review found that blue light may reduce disease recurrence in intermediate- and high-risk patients (HR 0.68) and may reduce progression in high-risk patients (HR 0.70), though evidence certainty was low. Effects on surgical complications, cancer-specific death, and adverse events were minimal. Results suggest blue light TURBT offers meaningful benefit primarily to higher-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer patients.
