Superficial bladder cancer.
The majority of patients with bladder cancer have superficial disease. Occupational exposure to metabolites of aniline dyes and other aromatic amines has been associated with the development of bladder cancer. Latency periods can reach 50 years. Cigarette smoking has also been strongly linked to bladder cancer as an etiologic factor. The diagnosis of superficial bladder cancer can be elusive because its symptoms mimic those of other common urologic conditions such as urinary tract infection and prostatism. A high index of suspicion is required and a search for bladder cancer should be initiated in any adult (especially those over 50 years of age) who exhibits asymptomatic gross or microscopic hematuria, or irritative voiding symptoms. Cystoscopy is required for the screening and diagnosis of superficial bladder cancer, and resection of the lesion can be performed cystoscopically as well. Laser ablation of superficial lesions provides a treatment alternative that is less invasive and better tolerated by the patient, but it does not yield a tissue specimen for analysis. Urinary cytology has been invaluable in the screening, diagnosis, and follow-up of superficial bladder cancer patients, and now flow cytometry and image analysis techniques can complement it and may eventually supplant it. The key to the management of superficial bladder cancer is to identify those patients that may be at risk for recurrence and, more importantly, those who may progress to invasive or metastatic disease. Fortunately, most superficial bladder cancer remains superficial, and the overall prognosis is good, with 5-year survival rates for superficial disease of approximately 75%. As the natural history of superficial bladder cancer has become more evident through extensive research, risk factors such as tumor size, multiplicity, grade, depth of invasion, and condition of the surrounding mucosa have emerged. T1 lesions, those that invade the lamina propria, have a more ominous course than T0 and TA lesions. The mainstay of treatment for superficial disease is transurethral resection of the lesion or lesions. Intravesical therapy has been shown to have a definite effect in eradicating existing disease as well as reducing recurrences, but it has not been shown to prevent invasive disease.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)