[Can topical chemoprevention modify the rate of recurrence and progression of superficial bladder cancer?].

Several studies indicate that intravesical chemotherapy is an effective treatment for superficial bladder tumors. We have carried out a retrospective study of 321 patients with superficial bladder cancer who where treated between 1972 and 1982 at our Institute. In 63 of the 321 patients, adriamycin 50 mg or mitomycin C 20 mg was administered topically. In an average follow-up of 20.2 months the overall recurrence rate was 54.2%. In the control group the mean times to recurrence were 21 months for Ta tumors and 17.4 months for T1 tumors, while those in the topically treated patients were 14 and 8 months for the mitomycin and 17 and 6 months for the adriamycin group. The only factor that influenced the recurrence rate was the depth of infiltration of the lamina propria. Our data indicate that topical chemotherapy has no effect in patients with superficial cancer of the bladder.