Histological and quantitative prognostic factors in transitional cell bladder cancer treated by cystectomy

A cohort of 103 transitional cell bladder tumours (TCC) treated by cystectomy was followed up over 9 years. Patients treated with radiation and cystectomy had a more unfavorable prognosis than patients treated by cystectomy alone (p < 0.0001). Old patients had an unfavorable prognosis after cystectomy, whereas none of the patients under the age of 50 died of TCC after cystectomy (p = 0.027). WHO grade (p = 0.002), high mitotic rate (p = 0.012) and nodular growth pattern (p = 0.004) were signs of ominous disease outcome in univariate survival analysis. Dense inflammatory cell infiltrates in the tumour itself or around invasive tumour cells were signs of good prognosis after cystectomy (p = 0.001) in a multivariate analysis. Clinical stage or nuclear morphometric factors had no independent prognostic value after cystectomy. The results clearly show that the intrinsic malignancy of TCC and host defence mechanisms together determine the prognosis after cystectomy. The evaluation of malignant features in TCC alone is an insufficient means of predicting prognosis in invasive TCC and the analysis of host immune response should be included in the prognostic evaluation.