Susceptibility of urothelium to neoplastic cellular implantation.

This study sought to determine whether or not transitional carcinoma cells can adhere and progressively grow on normal or inflamed bladder urothelium. Inflammation was produced by intravesical N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. Tumor cell implantation occurred in only 13 per cent of mice with normal bladder, whereas in the presence of an altered urothelial surface ther was a 60 per cent incidence of tumors. This study not only has clinical implications but also offers a model to investigate modalities to prevent tumor cell implantation.