Individual QoL as assessed by the SEIQoL-DW is unrelated to standard health-status measures such as the EORTC QLQ-C30 or the Karnofsky index. Patient-perceived iQoL in PBSCT seems to depend largely on areas others than health and physical functioning, with the family playing a prominent role.

Since 1979 a prospective randomized trial was done to examine the efficacy of intravesical doxorubicin as prophylaxis against recurrence. After complete transurethral resection of the tumor, patients were divided into 3 groups at random: group 1-no further treatment after transurethral resection, group 2-doxorubicin twice weekly for 6 weeks and group 3-doxorubicin for 1 year. A total of 268 patients entered the study. Neither frequency of recurrences, tumor progression nor survival rate was improved significantly by the adjuvant treatment, so that only a limited number of patients will profit by instillation therapy. Analysis of previously reported data suggests that patients with superficial bladder tumors can be stratified into groups with appreciable differences in risk of progression. With regard to these results a differentiated use of a "wait and see" adjuvant intravesical therapy and more aggressive treatment after transurethral resection of superficial bladder tumors seems to be indicated rather than a general practice of chemoprophylaxis.

Differentiating between positive and problematic interactions prior to PBSCT helps to recognise detrimental forms of social support. Future research should investigate the clinical implications and help tailor psychotherapeutic intervention.

The aim of this study was to determine the associations between health locus of control (LoC), causal attributions and coping in tumour patients prior to autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. Patients completed the Questionnaire of Health Related Control Expectancies, the Questionnaire of Personal Illness Causes (QPIC), and the Freiburg Questionnaire of Coping with Illness. A total of 126 patients (45% women; 54% suffering from a multiple myeloma, 29% from non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and 17% from other malignancies) participated in the study. Cluster analysis yielded four LoC clusters: 'fatalistic external', 'powerful others', 'yeah-sayer' and 'double external'. Self-blaming QPIC items were positively correlated with depressive coping, and 'fate or destiny' attributions with religious coping (P<0.001). The highest scores were found for 'active coping' in the LoC clusters 'powerful others' and 'yeah-sayer'. External LoC and an active coping style prevail before undergoing autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation, whereas the depressive coping is less frequent, associated with self-blaming causal attributions. Health beliefs include causal and control attributions, which can improve or impair the patient's adjustment. A mixture between internal and external attributions seems to be most adaptive.