Carcinoma of the urinary bladder in the Western Cape

The histology of the initial biopsy specimens of 473 patients with tumours of the urinary bladder has been reviewed and the tumours categorised. The patients selected were normally resident in the Western Cape. The findings show that there is a low percentage of squamous carcinomas in the series when compared with similar published series from other parts of the African continent. These findings suggest that whatever aetiological or modifying agents are operative in the remainder of Africa, these are not present in the Western Cape.