[Chemotherapy of bladder tumors. Indications and value of loco-regional and systemic application].

Systemic chemotherapy of advanced and metastatic bladder carcinomas leads to tumor regression and shows a palliative effect on symptomatic lesions in some of the cases, but the duration of the effect is limited. The value of an adjuvant chemotherapy following radical surgery or radiotherapy is not evaluated in clinical studies. Local chemotherapy induces complete regression of multifocal superficial bladder tumors in many cases. Of special interest are the results of treatment of carcinoma in situ by doxorubicin. Furthermore the intravesical chemotherapy has become widely used with a prophylactic goal in mind after complete transurethral resection of superficial bladder tumors. Aims and preliminary results of randomized clinical EORTC trials are reported.