Bacterial infection of urine in patients with bladder cancer

In this retrospective study on 226 patients with bladder cancer before radiotherapy following diagnostic or conservative surgery, bacterial infection of the urine was evaluated. The incidence of urine infection was 65.5%. 12.3% of the patients had sterile urine and in 22.1% of patients the investigation for urine infection was not performed. 77% of infections were caused by Gram-negative bacilli. No dependence of infection incidence on the tumor-T-stage, incidence of diabetes mellitus, prostatic gland size and tumor location near the internal ostium of the urethra was found. Thus, the cancer itself, transurethral diagnostic and/or transurethral or abdominal operation and the hospital stay appear to be of primary importance for the development of infection. To prevent serious late postradiation reactions it is important to manage infection before the start of radiotherapy. Some features of infection therapy in bladder cancer patients are discussed.