What Researchers Did
Researchers investigated if tumour cell activity, measured by bromodeoxyuridine labeling and DNA status, could predict recurrence in 103 patients with superficial grade 2 bladder cancer after surgical removal, with the labeling process performed under hyperbaric oxygen.
What They Found
Patients with a bromodeoxyuridine labeled cell index less than 5.3% had an 82.0% 5-year no recurrence rate, compared to 27.1% for those with an index greater than 5.3%. Similarly, DNA diploid tumours showed a 75.1% 5-year no recurrence rate versus 29.3% for DNA aneuploid tumours. A bromodeoxyuridine index over 5.3% was the strongest predictor of recurrence, increasing risk by 5.31 times.
What This Means for Canadian Patients
For Canadian patients with superficial bladder cancer, these findings suggest that specific biological markers could help doctors better predict the likelihood of their cancer returning. This information might guide decisions about follow-up care, potentially altering how often patients need check-ups like cystoscopies.
Canadian Relevance
This study was not conducted by Canadian authors or in Canada. While the research method involved hyperbaric oxygen for a diagnostic step, the study does not cover a Health Canada-recognised indication for hyperbaric oxygen treatment.
Study Limitations
The study focused on a specific type of bladder cancer (superficial grade 2 transitional cell carcinoma) and was conducted at a single institution in 1996.