COMPARISON OF TRANSITIONAL CELL CARCINOMA GRADING OF BLADDER ACCORDING TO URINE CYTOLOGY AND BLADDER BIOPSY

Cancer of the bladder comprises 5.2% of all malignancies and it is the fifth common malignancy in Iran. Transitional cell carcinoma represents 92% of all bladder tumors. Voided urine cytology and cystoscopic biopsy are used for screening and final diagnosis respectively in Iran. Selection of the therapy is according to the tumor grade which is detected by bladder biopsy. The hypothesis of this investigation was whether the results of TCC grade through cytology, which is a rapid, cost-effective & non-evasive method, were different from that of biopsy or not. Between 1998 and 2000, 375 Urine cytology speimens and 107 bladder biopsy were studied through double blind method in Shahid Hasheminezhad Hospital. Ultimately, TCC were detected in 38 patients both in urine cytology and biopsy. Then, cytologic grade was compared with histologic grade. The sensitivity was high but it was not validated because bladder biopsy was not taken from patients with negative urine cytology. The hypothesis was evaluated through Pearson’s Correlation Test which showed a strongly positive correlation in grade of tumor between urine cytology and biopsy (=0.936) Due to incomplete correlation, (Zc=1.705) bladder TCC grading can not be a wise choice only according to urine cytology.