A comparison of treatment methods for the prophylaxis of recurrent superficial bladder tumors.

We assigned 55 patients with superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder by rotation to 1 of 3 treatment categories. Group 1 patients were treated by transurethral resection alone, group 2 by transurethral resection followed by topical thiotepa and group 3 by transurethral resection followed by orally administered bacillus Calmette-Guerin. Recurrent bladder tumors developed subsequently in 80 per cent of the patients in group 1, 42.9 per cent in group 2 and 6.2 per cent in group 3.