Superficial carcinoma of the bladder: natural history and the role of interferons.

Superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder is a chronic disease. Patients face a lifetime with the potential for further neoplastic manifestations--the recurrence of either superficial or deeply invasive tumor. To some extent, the likelihood of disease recurrence can be predicted. Further, certain clinical interventions can alter the probability of tumor recurrence. This paper focuses on those patient and tumor characteristics that predict for the propensity to develop recurrent disease, with emphasis on the potential of the interferons to both treat this disease and to modify its natural history.