Upper tract urothelial tumor after transurethral resection for bladder tumor

We present a retrospective review of 30 patients who developed upper urinary tract tumors (UUTT) after having been diagnosed and treated for a bladder neoplasm. The mean patient age was 63 years (range 54-72). An average of 4.8 (range 1-10) transurethral resections (TUR) had been performed for bladder cancer prior to the appearance of UUTT. The length of time elapsed between the initial bladder TUR and the subsequent diagnosis of UUTT was variable, with increased incidence in the first 24-72 months (63.3% of the cases). In 21 cases (70%) the bladder tumor was multiple and in 28 (93.3%) the tumor was recurrent. In those patients with unilateral vesicoureteral reflux, an increased incidence of UUTT was found in the refluxing renal unit. In patients with poorly differentiated (grade 3 and grade 2-3) bladder tumors, UUTT was of the similar grade of anaplasia in 75% of cases. These observations, together with those previously published in the literature, allow us to recommend the use of excretory urography (IVP) every 2 years during the first 6 years of follow-up in patients treated for recurrent and/or multiple bladder tumor. Thereafter, follow-up would depend upon the individual clinical situation.