Staging invasive bladder tumors.

Staging of bladder tumors is based primarily on the depth of tumor invasion (T-category). Stage is important to treatment planning and prognosis. The problem is that clinical evaluation by T-category alone often understages the pathologic extent of disease and does not reliably predict treatment results. The current analysis shows that the presence of a mass palpable on bimanual examination is of prognostic value. Incorporating tumor volume with microscopic tumor invasion may enhance the usefulness of clinical staging.