EORTC risk tables – their usefulness in the assessment of recurrence and progression risk in non–muscle–invasive bladder cancer in Polish patients

INTRODUCTION: The assessment of risk of recurrence and progression of bladder cancer (BC) is still rather difficult. We decided to check the rates of the changes mentioned above in the group of the Polish patients after a year–long observation and next to compare them with the results calculated in the European Organisation of Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) risk tables. METHODS: The tested group consisted of 91 patients who underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumour (TURBT). When being diagnosed, 60 cases were in the pTa clinical stage, whereas 30 cases were in T1. The coexisting carcinoma in situ (CIS) was observed in four cases. On the basis of the scores obtained from the EORTC tables, the patients were divided into the groups of low, intermediate or high risk of disease recurrence and progression. RESULTS: Recurrence was noticed in 23 patients (25%), while progression was observed in 11 patients (12.1%). The rate of the observed recurrences proved to be lower than it had been predicted in all the groups, except for one of the intermediate–risk group (score 1– 4). Moreover, the rate of the progressions predicted according to the EORTC risk tables was higher in all the risk groups. CONCLUSIONS: It can be noticed that the rate of real recurrences is lower than expected, whereas the rate of the observed progressions is overestimated. Partly, it could be the result of using a relatively small group of patients for observation and applying a different method of treatment.