Objectives To examine the anti-oncogenic effects of promyelocytic leukemia (PML) on bladder cancer and to explore its molecular mechanisms of growth suppression. Methods Wild-type PML was transfected into bladder cancer cells (5637 cell) and expressed in a replication-deficient adenovirus-mediated gene delivery system and introduced into human bladder cancer cells (5637 cell) in vitro and in vivo. The effect and mechanisms of the PML gene in cell growth, clonogenicity, and tumorigenicity of bladder cancer cells were studied using in vitro and in vivo growth assays, soft agar colony-forming assay, cell cycle analysis, apoptosis assay and in vivo tumorigenicity assay. Results Overexpression of PML in 5637 cells significantly reduced their growth rate and clonogenicity on soft agar. PML suppressed bladder cancer cell growth by inducing G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Adenovirus-mediated PML (Ad-PML) significantly suppressed the tumorigenicity and growth of bladder cancer cells. Intratumoral injection of Ad-PML into tumors induced by 5637 cells dramatically suppressed their growth. Conclusions The results indicated that overexpression of PML protein may promote efficient growth inhibition of human bladder cancer cells by inducing G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, and adenovirus- mediated PML (Ad-PML) expression efficientlv suppresses human bladder cancer qrowth.