TRENDS IN CLINICAL OUTCOME OF TRANSITIONAL-CELL CARCINOMA OF THE URETER - HAVE THE RESULTS IMPROVED

We divided 53 consecutive patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the ureter into two groups. Group A consisted of patients treated in the 1970s and group B of patients treated in the 1980s. Clinical featu res and outcomes were compared between the groups. Group B patients sa w an increased use of new diagnostic modalities, including antegrade p yelography, computed tomography, and bone scintigraphy. Regional lymph adenectomy was added to the operative routine in group B and combined chemotherapy, using methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin and cisplati num, the most effective regimen at present, was used in 9 patients in group B and no patients in group A. In spite of new diagnostic modalit ies and treatments, the survival rate for ureteral cancer failed to im prove from the 1970s to the 1980s.