[Transurethral microwave coagulation of bladder cancer in elderly patients]

Since April 1985, 72 patients with bladder cancer have been treated by transurethral microwave coagulation (TUMC). In this procedure, tumors were irradiated with microwave energy of 100 watts for 2-16 minutes. A total of 20 patients were 70 years old or older, including 5 who were more than 80 years old. These 20 patients have been followed for 6 to 32 months with a median follow-up of 14.7 months. After TUMC, tumors completely disappeared endoscopically and histologically in all patients. Four patients had heterotopic recurrences. In all patients, serious complications were not seen during and after TUMC. Our clinical experience revealed that TUMC was the useful therapeutic method for bladder cancer in elderly or poor-risk patients. In this paper, we describe the technique of TUMC and preliminary clinical results.