Treatment of superficial (T1) tumours of the bladder by radical radiotherapy.

Local tumour control and survival is reported for 190 patients with T1 transitional cell cancer of the bladder who received a radical course of X-ray therapy. There was no difference in survival by the histological grade of the cancer but patients with grade 3 cancers had the highest probability of local control. After initial complete local tumour regression there was a similar probability of subsequent distant metastases irrespective of the grade of the cancer. Radical small field beam directed radiotherapy is commended for patients with T1/pT1 grade 3 transitional cell cancer of the bladder.