[Is there a place for randomized biopsies in the follow up of superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder?].
BACKGROUND
Transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder represents a disease of entire urothelial tract. The follow up is very important to detect any lesion that might represent a progression or a local recurrence. Some authors recommend randomized biopsies as a routine workup, others recommend cystoscopies and urinary cytology as the main part of superficial bladder cancer follow up.


METHODS
Forty nine patients with superficial bladder cancer were followed up during a ten-year period. Randomized biopsies and urinary cytology were harvested according to the international cancer protocol on bladder cancer.


RESULTS
15 (1%) out of 1.489 randomized biopsies found to be positive to transitional cell carcinoma. Four out (10.5%) of 35 biopsies targeted to suspicious areas were positive to transitional cell carcinoma. 50 (17.4%) out of 288 cystoscopies with urinary cytology found to be positive to transitional cell carcinoma. Sensitivity and Specificity of biopsies (including randomized and targeted) were 31% and 85.2% respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of cystoscopies with urinary cytology were 48% and 86.5% respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Randomized biopsies did not show to detect more local recurrence or progression when compared to the urinary cytology. Cystoscopies with urinary cytology have good sensitivity and specificity for detection of tumor recurrence during follow up of transitional cell carcinoma.
Eduardo Matheus
W
W
Universidad de Campinas - UNICAMP, Brasil.
Nardi Pedro
R
R
Maia Oliveira
R R
RR
Ferreira
U
U
Rodrigues Netto
N
N
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy / Q000379:methods*; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*