Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of urine cytology, bladder ultrasound (US), urine cytokeratin 19 fragment assay (CYFRA 21-1) and the combination of these noninvasive modalities in the detection of recurrent bladder cancer.
Patients and methods: In a total of 154 patients that were followed with cystoscopy after endoscopic resection of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, we performed and analyzed results of 311 observations that included cytology, CYFRA 21-1, US. The urine concentration of CYFRA 21-1 was measured by an immunoradiometric assay.
Results: Cystoscopy and biopsy revealed recurrent bladder tumors in 21 patients. Most of the tumors (77%) were less than 10 mm in their largest diameter. Urine cytology, US and urine CYFRA 21-1 resulted in overall sensitivity of 19.1, 52.4 and 71.4% and specificity of 96.6, 99.7 and 68.6%, respectively. Each of these methods used alone yielded false-negative results in patients harboring tumors at high risk of progression. The combination of all three methods had sensitivity and specificity of 90.5 and 67.2%, respectively. All three tests were negative in 197 of 311 observations (63.3%), missing only 2 low-risk tumors.
Conclusion: The combined use of US, urinary CYFRA 21-1 and cytology appears to be an effective, noninvasive approach for the detection of recurrent bladder tumors.