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From 1987 to 1993, 26 patients with superficial urothelial bladder carcinoma pT1G3 were observed consecutively at the Dept. of Urology of Pordenone City Hospital and the Division of Pathology of the Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (Italy). All patients were treated with TUR and then with a course of BCG-intravesical instillations. The complete immunoprophylaxis treatment consisted of a weekly instillation of BCG for 6 weeks; then cystoscopy and urinary cytologies or random biopsies were performed. An additional 1-monthly BCG treatment for 3 months was administered to 10 disease-free patients. In 6 cases of pT1G3 recurrences, a new complete cycle of BCG was performed whereas in 10 patients with local progression, defined as muscular infiltration, a cystoprostatectomy or RT therapy was advised. Follow-up examinations, planned every 3 months for 2 years and then every 6 months for 3 years, included cystoscopy and urinary cytologies in 19 patients and cystoscopy with randomized biopsies and washing in the remaining 7 patients. Ten patients were disease-free at a mean of 34 months follow-up (range 13-65 months); 6 patients experienced recurrence at a mean of 7 months follow-up (range 3-40 months) and 10 patients local progression at a mean of 13 months follow-up (range 3-44 months). The morphometric study demonstrated that cases with average nuclear area, in the deepest part of the histological section, more or equal to 40 μm2have a threefold progression rate, compared to cases with average nuclear area less than 40 μm2(p = 0.10). Our results would indicate the possible role of morphometric evaluation of prognostically important parameters, in the clinical management of patients with pT1G3 tumours.

The uterine body is studied from an anatomico-pathological point of view in 3 cases of endometrial carcinoma submitted to pre-operative telecobaltotherapy (6600 r).The macroscopic examination and the serial histological sections revealed, in the three cases under study, the tumour disappearance; in two cases, however, nests of residual epithelial cells with anaplastic characters were observed.Apart from the estimation of the therapeutic efficacy of Telecobaltotherapy –- which cannot be evaluated in such a small number of cases –- some considerations are exposed on the scarce connective and phlogistic reactions induced by this radiating therapy. The observed picture is in agreement with earlier observations on cervical carcinoma and on satellite lymph nodes surgically removed after Telecobaltotherapy.