Superficial bladder tumors in patients under 40 years of age: clinical, prognostic and cytogenetic aspects.

Bladder carcinoma with transitional cells is the most frequent neoplasia in the urinary system, but it is quite rare in patients under 40 years of age (0.4-2%). An analysis of 21 patients under 40 and a review of other reports show that tumors in patients under 20 years old have little tendency to recur and to progress, while tumors in patients aged between 21 and 40 have a behavior pattern similar to older age groups regarding recurrence and disease progression. Preliminary results of a study using fluorescent in situ hybridization with probes for the centromere of chromosomes 7 and 17 showed a high incidence of aneusomy with regard to these chromosomes and a genetic difference between superficial tumors in the young and in adults. Using probes from chromosomes already described in bladder carcinogenesis, we obtained higher sensitivity and specificity in detecting aneuploid events. Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel