[Chemotherapy in the treatment of advanced urothelial tumors]

Progress has been made in the management of patients with advanced metastatic and muscle-invasive urothelial tract tumors. Combination chemotherapy has proved effective, and, in those who attain complete remission it prolongs survival. Chemotherapy alone or combined with radiotherapy and TURB may now make less aggressive surgery and bladder conservation possible in selected patients. Improvements in perioperative care, coupled with surgical, radiotherapeutic and diagnostic achievements, have led to substantial progress. Recombinant DNA technology has led to the availability of sufficient quantities of hematopoietic factors, which are now available for clinical trials. Today, CSFs can complement therapy and ameliorate the myelosuppression and mucositis associated with chemotherapy, permitting safer administration of therapy and increased dose intensity of treatment programs. Investigations of the biology of bladder cancer aimed at defining the malignant and metastatic potential of an individual tumor are very promising. Immunohistochemistry of cell surface antigens, such as blood group antigens, monoclonal antibody technology, and assessment of the chromosomal complement or DNA content will have increasing importance for this aim in the future. Future trials will need to consider the biology of bladder cancer and more sophisticated prognostic variables than performance status. Mixed-histology tumors are probably less responsive. Why certain tumors metastasize and others remain restricted to the bladder or nodes is still a matter of conjecture. Hopefully, future studies will throw some light on these still-unexplained areas.