THE APPLICATION OF A PROGNOSTIC FACTOR-ANALYSIS FOR TA.TL BLADDER-CANCER IN ROUTINE UROLOGICAL PRACTICE

Objective To assess the reproducibility of the prognostic factor findings of Parmar et al. [1], in a routine urological practice. Patients and methods The superficial tumour recurrence-free rate has been analysed for 232 newly diagnosed consecutive patients with Ta.Tl transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, All patients were without carcinoma in situ or muscle invasion at the time of diagnosis. Results Applying the prognostic factors recommended (number of tumours at diagnosis; tumour recurrence at first 3-month cystoscopy) patients with Ta.Tl bladder cancer may be divided into three distinct groups with significantly different chances of superficial bladder tumour recurrence. Conclusion Two simple clinical criteria provide a reliable guide to the likelihood of tumour recurrence in patients with Ta.Tl bladder cancer. The modification of follow-up cystoscopy schedules on this basis requires prospective study.