Urinary excretion of glycosaminoglycans in patients with superficial bladder tumors.

Urinary glycosaminoglycan/creatinine (GAG/Cr) ratio was determined in 73 patients with superficial bladder tumors and 34 healthy volunteers. While the mean GAG/Cr value in the tumor group was higher than the control group (11.25 +/- 5.36 vs. 10.11 +/- 2.67) this difference was not statistically significant. However, comparing the urinary GAG/Cr ratio of T1, Grade III and recurrent tumors with the control group revealed statistically significant results (p < 0.01, p < 0.001 and p < 0.02 respectively). Therefore, the urinary GAG/Cr ratio determination in the follow-up of these patients may be used as noninvasive procedure and high levels may be signs of higher grade, higher stage disease.