[Upper urothelium tumor in patients treated with radical cystectomy for transitional carcinoma of the bladder]

To evaluate the incidence and characteristics of tumours in the upper endothelium (TUE) that develop in patients with transitional carcinoma of the bladder treated with radical cystectomy.

Between 1986 and 1996, 160 evaluable patients who underwent cystectomy due to transitional cancer of the bladder were reviewed and found to be infiltrant in 96% cases. Follow-up either until death or to the date of the study, was carried out with intravenous urography (IVU) in the first 6 months with additional urographies at least every two years.

Five (3.1%) patients showed progress of the upper endothelium tumour, which was multifocal in 3 patients and infiltrant also in 3. No association was seen in these patients with in situ carcinoma of the bladder, or urethral invasion by the primary tumour: only one patient had tumour involvement of end ureters. After three months from diagnosis, tumour-related mortality was 50%. Incidence of upper endothelium tumours in patients with infiltrant tumour of the bladder was lower (1.9%) than in patients with surface tumour of the bladder (16.6%).

Based on data from our series, the incidence of TUE was 3.1% with a mean time interval between cystectomy and TUE diagnosis of 25.4 months. IVU was diagnostic only in 40% cases. No risk factors were identified in our patients, and mortality due to advanced stage of TUE at three months was 50%. The high percentage of patients with advanced TUE in our series warrants the addition of an annual IVU in the follow-up of these patients.