How do we follow patients with Ta grade 1-111 bladder tumors in Denmark?

A questionnaire on the follow-up regimens for Ta grade I-III bladder tumors in Denmark was mailed to 54 urological and surgical departments. Reply rate was 87%. Most patients were followed in out-patient clinics. Transabdominal ultrasound of the bladder was used by 9% of the departments while 36% of the departments used urinary cytology. Seventy-seven percent of the departments routinely took selected site biopsies at the primary tumor resection while only 14 departments (30%) used selected site biopsies during the follow-up. Forty percent of the departments considered carcinoma in-situ and Ta grade III malignant and Ta grade I and II benign while 6% regarded all four categories as malignant. A guideline for characterization and surveillance of bladder tumor patients is needed.