Usefulness of droplet digital PCR and Sanger sequencing for detection of FGFR3 mutation in bladder cancer.

•ddPCR appeared to be more sensitive for detection FGFR3 gene mutation than Sanger sequencing.•ddPCR is better for detecting low levels of tumor DNA amongst a large excess of nontumor DNA.•Presence of FGFR3 mutations correlated with better survival for patients without recurrence.•Tumor heterogeneity and sample collection could be crucial for efficacy of Sanger sequencing.