Purpose: We evaluated the clinical significance of lymphovascular invasion in transurethral resection of bladder tumor specimens in patients with newly diagnosed T1 urothelial carcinoma of the bladder.

Materials and methods: Enrolled in the study were 118 patients with newly diagnosed T1 urothelial carcinoma of the bladder who underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor between 2001 and 2007. Patient records were retrieved from a prospectively maintained bladder cancer database. We evaluated the correlation between lymphovascular invasion and other clinicopathological features, and the impact of lymphovascular invasion on disease recurrence, disease progression and metastasis.

Results: Lymphovascular invasion was histologically confirmed in 33 patients (28.0%). While lymphovascular invasion correlated with tumor grade (p = 0.002), it was not associated with gender, age, bladder tumor history, tumor size, multiplicity or concomitant carcinoma in situ. Recurrence, progression and metastasis developed in 45 (38.1%), 19 (16.1%) and 10 patients (8.5%), respectively. Univariate analysis showed that lymphovascular invasion was marginally associated with recurrence and significantly associated with progression (p = 0.011) and metastasis (p = 0.019). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed that recurrence was significantly associated with lymphovascular invasion (p = 0.029), and with bladder tumor history (p <0.001), tumor size (p = 0.031) and multiplicity (p = 0.043). Lymphovascular invasion was the only independent prognostic factor associated with progression (p = 0.016).

Conclusions: In patients with newly diagnosed T1 urothelial carcinoma of the bladder lymphovascular invasion in transurethral resection of bladder tumor specimens predicts disease progression and metastasis.