A clinical study for intravesical recurrence after surgical therapy of urotherial carcinoma of the upper urinary tract

: To identify the risk factors for developing subsequent bladder carcinoma in patients undergoing surgical management of urothelial carcinoma (UC) of the upper urinary tract, we retrospectively studied 119 (median age 69, 81 males and 38 females) patients who underwent surgical resection at Yokohama Municipal Citizen's Hospital, Yokosuka Kyousai Hospital and Chigasaki Municipal Hospital from August 1980 to September 2006. After a median follow up of 37.7 months, 42 cases (35.3%) developed recurrent bladder cancer and the intravesical recurrence-free survival rate at 5 years (Kaplan-Meier method) was 57.7%. Bladder cancer was significantly more common in patients who had smaller primary tumors (less than 3 cm: p0.0444) by univariate analysis. This factor was also identified as independent predictor for the intravesical recurrence by multivariated analysis (p0.0495, Hazard ratio 2.099). In 42 intravesical recurrence cases, invasive recurrence was seen in 9 cases (21.4%). Invasive recurrence appeared to occur in the patients who were older and had longer interval by intravesical recurrence.