In order to evaluate the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder a retrospective analysis was performed. 54 patients without distant metastases (T2-T3b, N0-X, M0) received 3 cycles of neoadjuvant chemotherapy according to the MVAC protocol (methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin and cisplatin) after transurethral resection (TUR) followed by cystectomy. 52 patients had previously undergone cystectomy immediately after TUR. Complete histopathological remission was observed in 9 patients (17.3%) after TUR and in 17 patients (31.5%) after TUR+MVAC. Neoadjuvant MVAC resulted, therefore, in a 14% higher rate of complete remissions. The overall response to TUR was significantly improved by MVAC therapy. Downstaging by neoadjuvant chemotherapy was more readily achieved in initially low-stage tumours (T2: 44.4% and 30.8%, T3a: 47.1% and 19%, T3b: 5.3% and 5.5% in patients receiving TUR+MVAC and TUR alone, respectively). Overall survival did not differ significantly between both groups. Patients who were successfully downstaged to pT0 had a significantly better prognosis, and patients resistant to chemotherapy had the poorest prognosis, showing the shortest survival. In conclusion, histopathological response at cystectomy was improved by neoadjuvant MVAC chemotherapy after TUR and can be expected to be prognostically relevant in those patients who can be downstaged to T0, although overall survival failed to be significantly increased in this relatively small patient sample.