[Fluorescent diagnostics of urinary bladder cancer]

Introduction of optic markers in screening for cancer of the urinary bladder (UB) raises diagnostic significance of UB cystoscopy. Application of intravesical form of 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA), precursor of photodynamically active protoporphirine IX, prevents complications in systemic use of tetracycline or hepatoprophirines. Fluorescent cystoscopy with 5-ALA (n = 59) was made in 51 patients treated in the Research Institute of Urology. UB cancer was detected in 32 patients. This procedure proved highly sensitive and specific (97.0 and 75.6%, respectively, being much more effective than standard cystoscopy and biopsy in the white light (85.1 and 81.4%, respectively). Specificity of fluorescent cystoscopy is much higher in detection of tumors and pretumor lesions (88.4%). Fluorescent diagnosis is expected to become a gold standard in the program of UB cancer detection.