A proposed simplified staging system of invasive bladder tumors

Staging of bladder tumors is based primarily on the depth of tumor invasion (T category) and is important to treatment planning and prognosis. The problem is that clinical evaluation by T category alone often understages the pathologic extent of disease and does not reliably predict treatment results. The current analysis suggests that the presence of a mass palpable on bimanual examination is of prognostic value and incorporation of this feature with microscopic tumor invasion may enhance the usefulness of clinical staging.