HISTOPATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF 110 CYSTECTOMY SPECIMENS FOR BLADDER-CANCER BY AN ORIGINAL MAPPING METHOD

The management of cystectomy specimens represents the first and most i mportant step in the study of bladder cancer and related lesions. We c arried out a study on 110 patients, applying an original mapping proto col which allowed to determine the exact topography of lesions, recogn izing even the smallest ones and putting in evidence some rare histoty pe, A prevalence of high-grade, high-stage tumuors was noted, as well as a remarkable frequency of precancerous lesions, mostly found in Bru nn's nests. This latter finding could mean that in many cas es a flat carcinoma becomes invasive within a Brunn's nest rather than in surfac e urothelium. We were also able to accurately evaluate prostatic patho logy, finding incidental malignant lesions of this gland in 24.2% of t he cystectomized males. The apparently worst prognosis of the patients who underwent chemotherapy depends on the fact that they had grades a nd stages higher than the untreated subjects, In conclusion, we believ e that a more extensive sampling of cystectomy specimens gives highly reliable prognostic data and represents an unreplaceable tool in under standing bladder neoplasms.