Transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder: a clinicopathological study.

Introduction: The aim of the paper was to highlight the clinicopathological features of urinary bladder cancer in Jordan as a model for the Middle East. Only scattered reports from this region are currently available.

Methods: A total of 115 patients with bladder cancer were managed at our hospital, between the years 1994 and 2000. Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) comprised 110 patients. The medical records of these patients were reviewed and included in the present study.

Results: There were 99 male and 11 female patients. The mean age of the patients was 60.6 (range 19-91) years. 66 of the cases had low-grade and 44 had high-grade tumours. Pathological staging showed that 60 (54.5 percent) of the cases were stage PTa, 19 (17.3 percent) PT1, 22 (20 percent) PT2, eight (7.3 percent) PT3 and one (0.9 percent) PT4. Transurethral resection, segmental resection, radical cystectomy, and partial cystectomy with intestinocystoplasty, was performed in 81, 12, eight, and four patients, respectively. Palliative urinary diversion and radiotherapy were done in two patients. Three patients were unsuitable for surgery. Recurrence was found in 22 patients (31.4 percent). Of the 105 patients who received definitive surgical treatment, 97 patients were followed-up for a mean period of 23.1 months. By the end of the study, five patients died from cancer.

Conclusion: The age of presentation of TCC in Jordan is similar to that in the west, but a higher male-to-female ratio was observed. The stage at presentation is also very close to that in the west but inadequate follow-up may be the cause of a lower rate of recurrence observed in this study.