Hi Chris,
These are great catches! It seems like the JJCO ones go a good way toward addressing some of the questions you've been researching. The one by the Spanish group reassuringly notes that G3 tumors w/o CIS show both progression and recurrance rates similar to low grade/superficial tumors. That's pretty good. The only problem is that, as the first JJCO study you cited notes, with G3 there is a possibility of staging error. That has been something I've been curious about since my pathology report came back TaG3 - the two contrasting sides of that dx didn't make immediate sense to me, especially when the doc said we'd have to do another TU procedure for a more extensive biopsy. No one else seems to have had much difficulty with this, though, and in retrospect I guess I can see why. In any event, I'll have the second procedure next week, and get the pathology report a few days after that. If there's no residual tumor and the more comprehensive biopsy samples come back still Ta, then we'll rest up another month and start the BCG. We'll see how it turns out.
As for you, it sounds like your story line is getting more and more reassuring. Based on the way you described your history, it sounds like your tumor must have been papillary. I can't imagine it being CIS, or even just a flat tumor, and your story proceeding quite the way it has, and certainly your doctor not discussing the implications of tumors like that with you.
Thanks for passing along the great finds, and continued good results with your tx!
r/
Jim