Intravesical therapy of noninvasive bladder tumors (stage Ta) with doxorubicin: initial treatment results and the long-term course.

A total of 64 consecutive patients with noninvasive bladder tumors (stage Ta) between 1977 and 1983 underwent treatment with intravesical instillation of doxorubicin. The total response rate was 85 per cent and 57 per cent of the patients had a complete response after 16 weekly instillations. Half of the patients with a complete response had recurrences within 12 to 16 months. Ten per cent of all patients had an invasive tumor during the observation period. We conclude that doxorubicin can render some patients with noninvasive bladder tumors (stage Ta) free of disease but there currently is nothing to indicate that the same results could not be obtained by transurethral resection.