Bladder cancer surveillance in patients with spinal cord injuries

Bladder tumours represent a significant burden of disease worldwide, with high recurrence rates and mortality. Prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential as part of the management of this disease. Smoking, family history of bladder cancers, occupational exposure, and chronic bladder irritation, increase suspicion of a possible bladder cancer(1). The presence of a spinal cord injury (SCI) can subject individuals to many of these risks. A combination of neurogenic sequelae post-SCI, urinary stasis, increased risk of urinary tract infection, as well as greater need for use of urinary catherisation, all contribute to the higher risk of bladder tumour development(1). However, further guidance and higher quality evidence are still required in order to inform protocol for performing the screening of patients with SCI for bladder cancers. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

BJU international. 2018 Oct 08 [Epub ahead of print]

Liang G Qu, Nathan Lawrentschuk

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing, and Health Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, Australia., Department of Surgical Oncology, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia.