Cancer of the urothelium: background and characteristics of the care process related to the prognosis in a series of clinical cases

We analyze the occupational and smoking histories of 98 bladder cancer patients in a Barcelona City general hospital (Spain). Only 12 patients had no history of occupational risk or of smoking; 38 had an occupational history associated to higher bladder cancer incidence, and 80 had been or were current smokers. Diagnostic delay and delay in the initiation of treatment are analyzed. Up to 24% of patients delayed visiting their general practitioner over three months after the onset of hematuria. Up to 21% took more than three months in seeing an urologist. Only 38% began treatment in hospital in the first three months after diagnosis. The greater proportion of infiltrative tumours is seen in patients below 65 years who were visited with delay for their hematuria.