A Phase III Blinded Study of Immediate Post TURBT Instillation of Gemcitabine Versus Saline in Patients With Newly Diagnosed or Occasionally Recurring Grade I/II Superficial Bladder Cancer

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as gemcitabine, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving gemcitabine directly into the bladder after surgery may kill more tumor cells. It is not yet known whether giving gemcitabine directly into the bladder is more effective than a placebo in treating bladder cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized phase III trial is studying gemcitabine to see how well it works when given directly into the bladder compared with a placebo after surgery in treating patients with newly diagnosed or recurrent bladder cancer.