[Cytogenetic analysis of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder, stage B (pT2-3a/pN0)]

Muscle-invading urothelial carcinoma of the bladder, stage B of the Jewett-Marshall Scale (T2-T3a/pN0), treated effectively with radical cystectomy, is known to be a highly curable disease. But certain difficulties arise when it comes to apply the traditional morphological factor to the prognosis of this population, partly due to their relative small numbers and the lack of prospective studies on the subject. Apart from the presence or absence of lymph invasion, it is unclear whether the prognostic factors of poor evolution in tumours are also valid in more invasive lesions. This paper presents the cytogenetic study conducted in 7 patients with Stage B urothelial carcinoma in cystectomy portions. All of them showed favourable evolution except for one case with associated profusion of marker chromosomes and tetraploidy. As it has already been shown in Stage T1 vesical carcinoma, this association almost certainly carries a major predictive value of poor prognosis in the muscle-invading localized disease.