Because the response of cancer cells to chemotherapeutic agents depends upon the supporting extracellular matrix (ECM), the response in vivo may not be reproduced in 2-dimensional cell culture. The dose-response to curcumin and two derivatives by bladder cancer cells grown on both normal (SISgel) and cancer-derived ECM (Matrigel) and on plastic were contrasted. Cells grown on Matrigel were resistant to curcumins, but cells growing on SISgel, which mimic cancer cells suppressed by normal ECM, were nearly as sensitive as cells grown on plastic. SV40-immortalized urothelial cells, which are models for premalignant cells, were the most sensitive, but even aggressive cell lines were nearly as sensitive when grown on SISgel as on plastic. Curcumin response depends highly on the supporting ECM, and cells grown on plastic poorly models cells growing on natural ECM. Curcumin could prove an effective chemopreventive for bladder cancer recurrence when administered intravesically post-therapy.