Radical surgery and IVA-chemotherapeutic regimen to treat embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the urachus: case report

Biomarkers in Urachal Cancer and Adenocarcinomas in the Bladder: A Comprehensive Review Supplemented by Own Data

Urachal cancer (UrC) is a rare but aggressive cancer. Due to overlapping histomorphology, discrimination of urachal from primary bladder adenocarcinomas (PBAC) and adenocarcinomas secondarily involving the bladder (particularly colorectal adenocarcinomas, CRC) can be challenging. Therefore, we aimed to give an overview of helpful (immunohistochemical) biomarkers and clinicopathological factors in addition to survival analyses and included institutional data from 12 urachal adenocarcinomas. A PubMed search yielded 319 suitable studies since 1930 in the English literature with 1984 cases of UrC including 1834 adenocarcinomas (92%) and 150 nonadenocarcinomas (8%). UrC was more common in men (63%), showed a median age at diagnosis of 50.8 years and a median tumor size of 6.0 cm. No associations were noted for overall survival and progression-free survival (PFS) and clinicopathological factors beside a favorable PFS in male patients (p = 0.047). The immunohistochemical markers found to be potentially helpful in the differential diagnostic situation are AMACR and CK34βE12 (UrC versus CRC and PBAC), CK7, β-Catenin and CD15 (UrC and PBAC versus CRC), and CEA and GATA3 (UrC and CRC versus PBAC). Serum markers like CEA, CA19-9 and CA125 might additionally be useful in the follow-up and monitoring of UrC.

Costello Syndrome and Umbilical Ligament Rhabdomyosarcoma in Two Pediatric Patients: Case Reports and Review of the Literature

Costello syndrome is caused by heterozygous de novo missense mutations in the protooncogene HRAS with tumor predisposition, especially rhabdomyosarcoma. We here report two pediatric patients with Costello syndrome and umbilical ligament rhabdomyosarcoma. A review of the literature published in English in MEDLINE from January 1971 to June 2016 using the search terms “Costello syndrome” and “rhabdomyosarcoma” was performed, including two new cases that we describe. Twenty-six patients with Costello syndrome and rhabdomyosarcoma were recorded with mean age of diagnosis of 2 years and 8 months. The most common tumor location was the abdomen/pelvis, including four out of ten of those in the umbilical ligament. The most common histological subtype was embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. Overall survival was 43%. A total of 17 rhabdomyosarcomas in pediatric patients arising in the umbilical ligament were recorded with mean age of diagnosis of 3 years and 4 months. Overall survival was 69%. Costello syndrome is a poorly known disorder in pediatric oncology but their predisposition to malignancies implies the need for a new perspective on early diagnosis and aggressive medical and surgical treatment.

Incidental Diagnosis of Giant Cell Tumor After Urachal Remnant Removal in a Thalassemic Child

Urachal anomalies are relatively uncommon; they usually present in childhood as urachal cysts, urachal sinuses, diverticula, and patent urachus. The malignant involvement of the urachus, although rare in children, is commonly found in adulthood when adenocarcinoma accounts for the majority of the cases, representing up to 20-30% of all adenocarcinomas of the bladder. Urachal tumors of variable histology have been reported in children and adolescents as single case report. We present the first case of a 4-year-old thalassemic boy, with an incidental finding of giant cell tumor arising in an urachal remnant.

Urachal rhabdomyosarcoma in childhood: a rare entity with a poor outcome

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE

Rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) of the urachus is rare and gathered in the "abdominal and other locations" group for oncological treatment purpose, and therefore not well characterized. Our aim was to assess the clinical and prognostic specific features of urachal primary RMS in childhood.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 8 patients with an urachal RMS treated between 1984 and 2013 in two Pediatric Oncology Departments. Median follow-up was 42 months (18-100).

RESULTS

Urachal RMSs were embryonal in 6, alveolar in 1, and not otherwise specified in 1. Age at diagnosis was 4.4 years (2.6-6). All patients had advanced locoregional extension (IRS IIIIV) and 1 had distant metastasis. All had chemotherapy and surgical resection. Six had external radiotherapy. Four had extensive peritoneal recurrence including 2 with distant metastasis, within a median of 25 months (11-82) after the end of treatment. One had metastatic progression under primary treatment. Four of them died between 18 and 57 months after diagnosis, and 1 is still under treatment for a late recurrence. Only 3 are free of disease after 3.3 to 7.9 years of follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

Pediatric urachal cancer is rare and poorly identified. In our series, RMS was exclusive in this location. Locoregional extension was always advanced. Prognosis was poor despite current multimodal therapy. We underline the need for new therapeutical strategies.