Fenretinide in Treating Patients Who Have Undergone Surgery for Bladder Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

Histologically proven solitary or multifocal superficial (stage Ta, grades 1-2) transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder meeting 1 of the following criteria:

Newly diagnosed and no more than 4 weeks since resection
Secondary after being tumor free (including carcinoma in situ) for more than 12 months with no intravesical therapy within that 12 months OR

Histologically proven Ta, T1, or Tis TCC of the bladder previously treated with Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG).

Must have received 6 weeks of induction BCG followed by no evidence of disease by cystoscopy and cytology and then further treatment with 3 weekly doses of BCG.
Visible tumor totally resected within 4 weeks prior to study entry and no further surgery, intravesical therapy, or systemic therapy planned
No prostatic, prostatic urethral, or upper tract TCC involvement by the index tumor at resection
No metastatic disease

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

18 and over

Performance status:

Zubrod (Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)) 0-2

Life expectancy:

At least 2 years

Hematopoietic:

white blood count (WBC) greater than 3,000/mm^3
Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm^3
Hemoglobin greater than 11.0 g/dL

Hepatic:

serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT) or serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT) less than 1.5 times upper limit of normal (ULN)

Renal:

Creatinine less than 2.0 mg/dL

Other:

Triglyceride level less than 2.5 times ULN
No other concurrent malignancy except nonmelanomatous skin cancer
No other malignancy within the past 5 years unless currently disease free, at least 6 months since prior therapy, no current or planned active therapy, and expected disease-free survival at least 2 years
Not pregnant or nursing
Negative pregnancy test
Fertile patients must use effective contraception during and for 1 year after the study participation

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

See Disease Characteristics
No concurrent systemic biologic therapy

Chemotherapy:

See Disease Characteristics
No prior systemic cytotoxic chemotherapy for bladder cancer
At least 1 year since prior cytotoxic chemotherapy for nonbladder cancer
No concurrent systemic chemotherapy

Endocrine therapy:

Not specified

Radiotherapy:

No prior radiotherapy to the bladder
No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

See Disease Characteristics

Other:

At least 3 months since prior high-dose vitamin A (greater than 25,000 IU) or beta carotene (at least 30 mg/day)
At least 3 months since prior retinoid therapy