[A clinical study of total cystectomy for patients with bladder cancer]

We assessed the treatment outcome of total cystectomy for 67 patients with bladder cancer treated at Asahikawa Medical College Hospital between 1977 and 1991. The analyses of cause-specific 5-year survival rates by pathological stage (pT) and grade revealed a lower survival rate for higher stage, higher grade and non-transitional cell carcinomas. The condition of lymph node metastases (pN) was also correlated to the survival rate. Significant differences were observed between the survival rates of the patients with pT < or = 2 and pT > or = 3, and the patients with pNO and pN > or = 2. The cancer deaths were mainly caused by distant metastases. Preoperative irradiation showed prognostic advantage in the patients who had acquired down-staging by this treatment, and postoperative systemic chemotherapy also improved the prognosis in the patients with pT > or = 3.