[Bladder cancer as an incidental finding]

Transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder was found in 54 patients as an incidental finding. These patients are compared with 618 patients with symptomatic tumours as regards tumour type, grade and stage. The mean age is lower, there are more women and less tumours of high malignancy in the asymptomatic group than in the symptomatic. The main clinical sign in the symptomatic patient is gross haematuria. With increasing tumour stage and grade there are significantly more patients with dysuria and pollacisuria. Comprehensive urological examination of patients with dysuria or microhaematuria is a necessity. Sonography should be used as a valuable tool in the early detection of bladder tumours.