Follow-up of patients after curative bladder cancer treatment: guidelines vs. practice

Goal of surveillance after curative treatment of bladder cancer is to identify bladder cancer recurrence in an early stage. There also has to be close follow-up of the metabolic and functional consequences of urinary diversions. In this review we propose a follow-up scheme based on the available literature.

Follow-up of patients who underwent curative treatment after invasive bladder cancer covers many aspects. Most recurrences are seen within 2-3 years after curative treatment, therefore awareness of specific signs and symptoms that indicate local-regional, distant, upper urinary tract and urethral recurrence are important. But apart from the oncological follow-up there are also metabolic and functional aspects that play a vital role in surveillance.

At this time there is no consensus about the best follow-up strategy and a follow-up strategy based on the literature is suggested.