BLADDER CANCER is projected to be the fourth most common cancer diagnosed in 2007 and the eighth most common cause of cancer-specific death in men, according to the American Cancer Society. Approximately 70% of bladder tumors present as non-muscle invasive (NMI) disease and 10%-20% will progress to muscle invasion.

A principal reason for poor outcomes among bladder cancer patients is metastatic disease during follow-up. With currently available drugs, metastatic disease to other solid organs is only curable in less than 10% of patients, according to Virginia urologist Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD.

Bladder cancer caught early is often amenable to treatment, but of course late-stage and aggressive characteristics alter the prognosis for the worse. Understanding high-risk features, including aberrant histologic patterns, empowers the urologist to counsel and treat patients with greater precision.

Bladder cancer caught early is often amenable to treatment, but of course late-stage and aggressive characteristics alter the prognosis for the worse. Understanding high-risk features, including aberrant histologic patterns, empowers the urologist to counsel and treat patients with greater precision.

A study of patients who experienced Clostridium difficile colitis (CDC) following cystectomy found that the infection did not significantly affect patients’ hospital course.

HYDRONEPHROSIS at the diagnosis of bladder cancer is a significant prognostic marker for advanced malignancy, according to German researchers.

Variant tumor histology in patients with transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is an indication for neoadjuvant chemotherapy, according to researchers

ADVANCED AGE is associated with a diminished response to intravesical therapy for superficial bladder cancer, a study found.

PROPHYLAXIS with ofloxacin decreases the incidence of moderate-to-severe adverse effects from bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) intravesical therapy in patients with superficial bladder cancer, French researchers reported. Ofloxacin is a fluoroquinolone with tuberculostatic properties.