Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Early-Stage Bladder Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

* Histologically confirmed recurrent superficial bladder cancer defined as papillary transitional cell carcinoma (stage Ta/T1) and/or carcinoma in situ (stage Tis) of the urinary bladder

  * No evidence of invasion of the underlying muscle (stage T2) at baseline
* Must meet 1 of the following criteria:

  * Failure of at least 2 prior courses of intravesical therapy, 1 of which must have been a course of BCG
  * Recurrent or persistent disease within 6 months after failing a 6-week course of BCG followed by maintenance therapy
  * Inability or ineligibility to complete 1 course of intravesical therapy with BCG, and failure of 2 prior courses of intravesical therapy with an alternative agent
* Diagnosis must have been made no more than 24 months after completion of prior treatment with intravesical immunotherapy or chemotherapy
* If carcinoma in situ is current or previous diagnosis, the biopsies must be obtained from at least 4 sites (bladder mapping)
* If prostatic urothelial biopsy discloses carcinoma in situ, transurethral prostatic resection must be carried out prior to study
* Papillary disease must have undergone complete transurethral resection (TURBT) within 28 days before study

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Age:

* 18 and over

Performance status:

* ECOG 0-1

Life expectancy:

* Not specified

Hematopoietic:

* WBC greater than 4,000/mm\^3
* Platelet count greater than 100,000/mm\^3

Hepatic:

* Bilirubin less than 2 times upper limit of normal (ULN)
* SGOT and SGPT less than 3 times ULN

Renal:

* Creatinine no greater than 2.5 mg/dL

Other:

* Normal upper tract (ureter and renal pelvic) evaluation within 6 months
* No known sensitivity to anthracyclines or to Cremophor EL
* HIV negative
* No known AIDS or HIV-1 associated complex
* No other significant concurrent illness
* No other prior malignancy within the past 3 years except superficial bladder cancer, adequately treated basal cell or squamous cell skin cancer, or carcinoma in situ of the cervix
* Not pregnant or nursing
* Fertile patients must use effective contraception

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

Biologic therapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* No concurrent biological response modifier therapy

Chemotherapy:

* See Disease Characteristics
* Prior oral bropirimine for bladder cancer allowed
* No prior AD 32 for bladder cancer
* No other intravenously administered systemic chemotherapy for bladder cancer
* No concurrent chemotherapy for any other malignancy

Endocrine therapy:

* No concurrent hormonal therapy

Radiotherapy:

* No prior radiotherapy
* No concurrent radiotherapy

Surgery:

* See Disease Characteristics