Intravesical mitomycin C for the treatment of carcinoma in situ of the bladder: 36 months follow-up.

Mitomycin C (MMC) was given intravesically over a period of 36 months to 14 patients with transitional-cell carcinoma in situ of the bladder (CIS). Initial complete response was obtained in 10 patients. Of these patients, 5 presented recurrences; one in T2 at the 32nd month, one had a relapse of CIS with diffusion to the prostatic urethra at the 34th month: both patients underwent cystectomy. The remaining three patients presented Ta or T1 relapses and underwent endoscopic resection and a new instillation of MMC. The 4 patients who did not respond were treated with a new instillation of MMC:3 were unsuccessful and underwent cystectomy (one at the 9th month, one at the 12th month for progression to T2 and one at the 14th month for involvement of the prostatic urethra); the 4th patient responded to the treatment but at the 14th month had a relapse of CIS and he underwent cobalt-therapy. At the 36th month, 7 out of 13 patients were free from neoplasm. A neoplastic progression occurred in 3 patients: one out of the 9 patients who responded to the treatment and two out of the 4 who did not respond. Diffusion to the prostatic urethra was observed in 2 of the 13 patients; one patient responded to MMC and the other did not. Five patients underwent cystectomy: 3 for neoplastic progression and 2 for involvement of the prostatic urethra. MMC seems to be effective for the treatment of CIS of the urinary bladder and the absence of a response to chemotherapy must be considered an adverse prognostic factor for the neoplastic progression.