The diagnostic and prognostic value of urinary polyamine measurement in bladder cancer

This study concerns a group of 54 patients with bladder cancer aged from 51 to 80 years (50 males, 4 females). Polyamines (putrescine -PU, spermidine - SPD) were measured on 24 h urine collections prior to surgery by an automatic ion exchange analyzer. Both polyamines, and especially PU, correlated well with the degree of tumor infiltration (JEWETT - MARSHALL stage) and mitotic activity (BROD -ER'S grade). Retrospectively, 28 patients for whom follow-up after surgery was 6 months to one year were classified into two groups: R+ (21) patients with disease recurrence or progression, and R0 (8) patients remaining tumour free. Twenty patients with high preoperative PU levels were in the R+ group. By contrast, 6 patients with normal preoperative PU levels were in the R0 group.