The UroVysion fluorescence in situ hybridization assay is an effective tool for monitoring recurrence of bladder cancer

The newly developed UroVysion fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probe was applied to urine specimens from 19 patients being monitored for recurrence of bladder cancer. The results for the multi-target DNA FISH assay were compared with independent analyses of urine cytology and flexible cystoscopy. Patients with tumors identified through the cystoscopy exam were biopsied and/or underwent surgery. In 12 patients with normal cytoscopy, cytology and FISH were also normal. Therefore, the specificity of these two tests was 100%. In 7 patients, a tumor was diagnosed by cystoscopy, and 3 of them had abnormal urine cytology while 6 of them had an abnormal result in the FISH assay. Accordingly, the sensitivity was 43% for the cytology and 87% for the FISH test. Interestingly, a pT1G3 tumor in a bladder diverticulum was not detected by cytology or the FISH test. These results agreed with a large series previously published using similar FISH probes and support the proposal for a multicenter trial to confirm the usefulness of the UroVysion probe as a screening tool to select patients for cystoscopy.