Infantile neuroblastoma of the urinary bladder detected by hematuria

Unusual presentation of bladder neuroblastoma in a child: A case report

BACKGROUND

Neuroblastoma is an extracranial malignant tumor in children that is most often located in the adrenal gland and sympathetic ganglion. Here, we present a rare case of neuroblastoma originating from the urinary bladder.

CASE SUMMARY

A 3-year-old girl presented with lower abdominal pain with micturition. Ultrasound revealed a lower abdominal mass. Abdominal computed tomography scan displayed a solitary mass at the top of the urinary bladder. Blood levels of neuron-specific enolase and lactate dehydrogenase were elevated. We treated the child with partial cystectomy and six courses of chemotherapy, and the outcome at 4-year follow-up was unremarkable.

CONCLUSION

Neuroblastoma should be considered when tumors are located in the urinary bladder, especially in the dome; although this presentation is rare, the prognosis is very good.

Neuroblastoma of the Urinary Bladder in an Infant

As it originates from neural crest cells, Neuroblastoma (NBL) can arise anywhere along the sympathetic chain. However, its occurrence in the urinary bladder (UB) is extremely rare. We present a case of an incidentally diagnosed pelvic NBL arising from the dome of the UB in a 7-month-old infant. The mass was treated with surgical excision only after being classified as a very low risk group according to the International Neuroblastoma Risk Group staging system. The patient was disease free after 5 years of follow-up. Although rare, we suggest that NBL should be considered in the differential diagnosis of UB masses in children and investigated accordingly.

Composite Paraganglioma and Neuroblastoma of the Urinary Bladder: A Rare Histopathological Entity

Paraganglioma of the urinary bladder is an uncommon clinical entity. Neuroblastoma of the urinary bladder is another rare tumor with only 7 reported cases, all in children. This report presents the case of a composite paraganglioma and neuroblastoma in a 45 year-old male who presented with dysuria and flank pain. On the computerized tomography scan, the bladder wall overlying the tumor was smooth and the mass had a large exophytic component. The initial diagnosis was paraganglioma on transurethral resection. Following partial cystectomy and bilateral pelvic lymph node dissection, pathology confirmed a composite tumor consisting of paraganglioma and neuroblastoma. To our knowledge, this is the first report of such a composite tumor involving the bladder.