The predictive value of repeated urine cell culture in soft agar for recurrences of transitional cell carcinoma.
To evaluate the predictive value for recurrences of repeated urine cell culture in double layer soft-agar in patients with transitional cell carcinoma, 272 urine samples were collected from 75 patients. After a limited period of follow-up (mean 19.5 +/- 15.1 months) nine out of 46 patients with at least one evaluable culture and evaluable for clinical follow-up had a histologically proven recurrence preceded or accompanied by tumor colony growth in culture; one patient had tumor recurrence with growth negative urine cell culture; 15 patients had growth negative urine cell cultures and at first evaluation no recurrence of transitional cell carcinoma; 21 patients had growth positive urine cell cultures and no recurrence at first evaluation of follow-up. These two latter groups were evaluated again after an additional 30 months of follow-up. In the group with growth positive urine cell cultures (21 patients) nine patients (47.6%) developed a recurrence; 10 developed no recurrence. In the other group of patients with growth negative urine cell cultures (15 patients) six patients (40%) developed a recurrence, three following a growth positive urine cell culture. In the group of 46 evaluable patients in this study, 25 patients developed a recurrence, 21 had at least one growth positive culture. The sensitivity is 84% (21/25). Of 33 patients with positive cultures 21 have had a recurrence (64%) while 12/33 (36.7%) are "false positive." The false negative rate is 36.4% (four of 11 patients developed recurrences not preceded by growth positive urine cell cultures).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Kirkels
W J
WJ
Department of Urology, University Hospital Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
Feitz
W F
WF
Verhagen-Derks
W A
WA
Herman
C J
CJ
Debruyne
F M
FM
D000362:Agar; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000652:urine*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000652:urine*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014410:Tumor Stem Cell Assay; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000652:urine*
D000362:Agar