Treatment of bladder cancer at the Rotterdam Radiotherapy Institute (R.R.T.I.) with special reference to bladder radium implantation and preoperative radiotherapy followed by cystectomy.

Between 1950 and 1972, a total of 2,031 cases of bladder cancer were treated in the R.R.T.I. The policy differed according to size and stage of the disease as well as to the general condition of the patient. Best results were achieved by radium implantation of solitary lesions less than 5 cms in diameter. Preoperative radiotherapy followed by cystectomy was the treatment of choice for cases of T3 category. The remaining T1 and T2 cases were treated surgically, while T4 cases were managed with external irradiation alone.