Usefulness of the BTA STAT Test for the diagnosis of bladder cancer

To evaluate the usefulness of the Bard BTA stat Test in the diagnosis and follow-up of bladder cancer and to compare this test to cytologic analysis and cystoscopy, routine diagnostic methods.

Three hundred seventy-nine patients being followed up because of bladder cancer or with symptoms suggestive of bladder cancer underwent cystoscopy, cytologic analysis, and the BTA stat Test using a recently voided urine sample. In suspected cases, transurethral resection and histopathologic analysis were performed.

Of the 379 patients, 235 proved to have bladder cancer and 144 did not. The sensitivity was 73.62% for the BTA stat, 61.70% for cytologic examination, and 99.57% for cystoscopy. The specificity was 83.33% for the BTA stat, 92.36% for cytologic analysis, and 85.42% for cystoscopy. The BTA stat Test's sensitivity for grades 1, 2, and 3 tumor was 47.27%, 69.15%, and 95.35%, respectively. The sensitivity of cytologic analysis was 30.91%, 55.32%, and 88.37%. The BTA stat Test's sensitivity for stage was 45.65% in Stage Ta, 75.52% in T1, and 95.56% in Stage T2-4; the cytologic results were 28.26%, 65.03%, and 84.44%, respectively. The combination of both tests improved the sensitivity and decreased the specificity slightly.

The high sensitivity of the BTA stat Test, together with the data obtained from the parameters used for the evaluation of the test, demonstrate the better results of the BTA stat Test compared with cytologic analysis, making it a thoroughly valid diagnostic tool in the diagnosis of bladder cancer. In our opinion, the BTA stat Test can replace the use of cytologic analysis in the diagnosis of bladder cancer, but not the use of cystoscopy.