Recent perspectives in topical therapy in superficial bladder cancer.

With regard to side-effects in intravesical bacillus Calmette-Guérin instillation therapy and the limited efficacy of intravesical chemotherapy, there is still a need for improvement of these standard therapies. Recently, technical adjuvant means or the modification of cytostatic drugs have been undertaken to improve the efficacy of intravesical chemotherapy. Prognostic indicators of the response to bacillus Calmette-Guérin immunotherapy have been identified, but indicators of side-effects are needed in order to improve the benefit-to-risk ratio of bacillus Calmette-Guérin instillation therapy. Many innovative treatment options, however, still require a definition of their clinical value.