[Bladder cancer in neurological patients: analysis of a single-centre series]

To report the prevalence, aetiologies and course of bladder cancer in our population of neurological patients.

The case files of 1825 neurological patients followed in our department between 2000 and 2006 were retrospectively reviewed. The following data were recorded in patients with bladder tumour: age, gender smoking, aetiology of the neurological disease, voiding mode, history of neurogenic bladder, mode of discovery, histological type, grade, TNM stage, treatment and outcome.

Eight neurological patients (0.44%) developed bladder cancer. The mean age was 58.8 13.7 years (range: 36-72 years). The male/female sex ratio was 3. Neurogenic bladder was due to: spinal cord injury (n=4), multiple sclerosis (n=1), spina bifida (n=1), familial spastic paraplegia (n=1) and idiopathic peripheral syndrome (n=1). Three cases of squamous cell carcinoma (37.5%) were diagnosed. Seven tumours were high grade and 7 were invasive (> or = pT2) The mean follow-up was 27.8 +/- 23.5 months (range: 14-71 months). Three patients have died.

The incidence of bladder cancer in neurological patients is similar to that of the general population. However, more immediately invasive squamous cell carcinomas are observed, requiring aggressive treatment, but no consensus concerning a surveillance protocol adapted to this population has been published.