Surveillance, initial assessment, and subsequent progress of patients with superficial bladder cancer in a prospective longitudinal study. National Bladder Cancer Collaborative Group A (NBCCGA).

Through a bladder cancer surveillance protocol, a sizable population of patients suitable for characterizing the dynamics and patterns of recurrent superficial transitional cell carcinoma has been identified. One hundred thirty-three patients have been followed after their first occurrence of transitional cell carcinoma (Stage O or A). Only patients whose tumors were considered to be completely removed by transurethral resection and who were not treated by any other means were included. Although a full year of follow-up is not yet complete, recurrent bladder carcinoma has been noted in 44 (33%). Most of these recurrences were identified at the first follow-up cystoscopy and the majority were present at the site of the initial lesion. Tumor size, grade, and stage did not appear to influence recurrence, whereas multiplicity did. The relevance of these findings to various theories about the mechanism of recurrence is discussed.