The association between variant histology and prognostic, histomorphological and clinical aspects of bladder urothelial carcinoma

This study underscores the imperative consideration of histological subtypes and divergent differentiation in accurately estimating bladder urothelial carcinoma prognosis and guiding treatment decisions. A comparative analysis was conducted, examining clinical, histological, and prognostic factors between conventional urothelial carcinoma and urothelial carcinoma with variant histology in a clinical sample. A retrospective analysis of slides and other clinicopathologic data was conducted these cases, with an emphasis on key diagnostic elements. We examined 829 cases of urothelial carcinoma of the bladder, comprising of 744 transurethral resection (TUR) and 85 radical cystectomy (RS) specimens, an analysis that showed that 80.5 % (667 cases) were conventional urothelial carcinoma (CUC) and that 19.5 % (162 cases) exhibited variant histology (hereafter "urothelial carcinoma with subtype histology" [UCSH]). TNM classifications for the RS cases were as follows: 2 cases were stage group 0a, 11 stage group 1, 16 stage group 2, 45 stage group 3a, 2 stage group 3b, 1 stage group 4a, and 8 stage group 4b. Only 2 of the RS cases were found to be non-invasive. Among 744 TUR specimens, 387 were found to have a non-invasive tumor whereas 357 had invasive tumors. The most prevalent subtype in the UCSH group was urothelial carcinoma with squamous differentiation, accounting for 54.3 % (88 cases). Notably, 8.02 % (13 cases) exhibited more than one histological subtype. Papillary configuration, histological grade, lamina propria, muscularis mucosa and serosa invasion, lymphovascular invasion, presence of urothelial carcinoma in situ, and overall survival significantly differed between the UCSH and CUC groups (p < 0.05). However, mean age, gender, tumor size, lymphocytic response, disease-free survival, and survival status did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). Among the UCSH group, lower levels of papillary configuration, higher histological grade, higher degree of lamina propria, muscularis mucosa and serosa invasion, and the presence of carcinoma in situ corresponded to higher percentage of histological subtype morphology (p < 0.05). No significant difference in survival status was observed between the groups with and without subtype histology (p = 0.083). This study found that clinical and histopathological prognostic factors associated with a more aggressive disease were linked to the presence and percentage of histological subtypes. Recognizing histological subtype is crucial for treatment decisions and prognosis prediction in urothelial carcinoma cases with these subtypes.

Urothelial Carcinoma With Divergent Glandular Differentiation

Divergent differentiation in urothelial carcinoma is a challenging phenomenon that often makes the proper histopathological diagnosis a challenge. Conventional foci are often scarce in this subclass of urothelial carcinoma, and even if proper grossing and slide processing is performed, inexperienced pathologists can miss them. Furthermore, divergent differentiation in urothelial carcinoma is important to be recognized as such not only for the true diagnosis to be established and hence not increase the statistical incidence of rare neoplasms but also as divergent differentiation is one of the key factors in defining urothelial carcinomas as high-grade and hence crucial for proper patient management and treatment. Herein, we report a histopathological case of a male patient in his 60s who had been diagnosed with a high-grade urothelial carcinoma with submucosal involvement one year prior. Due to symptom recurrence, a follow-up endoscopy and resection of suspicious areas were performed to check for disease recurrence. Histopathology revealed a malignant neoplasm with histomorphological features of predominantly colonic-type adenocarcinoma and only a few areas with urothelial papillary morphology. Hence, divergent differentiation of the neoplasm was noted. Other than not falsely increasing the incidence of rare bladder malignancies, proper recognition of urothelial divergent differentiation is also important for excluding metastatic lesions to the bladder, as most of the diverging types of differentiation are common in neighboring organs or in tumor types that have pronounced metastatic potential.

A Clinicopathologic Study of Urinary Bladder Lesions Amongst North Indian Population: An Experience From a Tertiary Care Centre

BACKGROUND

Urinary bladder cancer (UBC) is amongst the most common urological malignancies.

AIM

To study different types of urinary bladder lesions in the north Indian population and to correlate various clinical and pathological findings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The present prospective study was conducted on 100 cases undergoing transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) and/or radical cystectomy over a period of 2.5 years followed by histopathological examination. Liquid-based cytology for malignant cells in urine was also performed. Immunohistochemistry was employed for tumor typing wherever needed.

RESULTS

A total of 100 cases were studied. Male to female ratio was 15.7:1 and most of the patients were in the sixth decade (40%). Painless hematuria was the commonest clinical presentation (60%) and smoking was the commonest risk factor (80%). The most common lesion was infiltrating urothelial carcinoma seen in 72 cases followed by papillary urothelial neoplasm of low malignant potential (PUNLMP) seen in eight cases. Grade and depth of invasion were assessed and correlated. Several variants of infiltrating urothelial carcinoma such as squamous differentiation, glandular differentiation, microcystic, clear cell, nested, and micropapillary were also identified. Clinical, cystoscopic and histopathological findings were correlated in all the cases.

CONCLUSION

Infiltrating urothelial carcinoma high grade was the most common bladder lesion identified and muscle invasion was more common with higher-grade lesions. A decade-younger age group was found to be more affected in the present series. Urine cytology for malignant cells is useful for early diagnosis of cancer. Immunohistochemistry is an important ancillary adjunct.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Prior to Radical Cystectomy for Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer With Variant Histology: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Survival Outcomes and Pathological Features

PURPOSE

To conduct systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate effects of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) on survival and histopathological outcomes of variant histology (VH) of urothelial carcinoma (UC) of bladder.

METHODS

This systematic review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023389115). Literature search was conducted in PubMed/Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library for studies published up to January 2023. Population, intervention, comparator, outcome, and study design were as follows: bladder cancer patients with VH (population), neoadjuvant chemotherapy (intervention), radical cystectomy only (comparators), oncological survival and pathologic response (outcomes), and retrospective or prospective (study design).

RESULTS

Finally, a total of 17 studies were included in the present study (quantitative analysis, n = 17; qualitative analysis, n = 12). Pooled HR was 0.49 (95% CI: 0.31-0.76; P = .002) for OS. Pooled HR was 0.61 (95% CI: 0.38-0.98; P = .04) for CSS. Pooled HR was 0.44 (95% CI: 0.21-0.93; P = .03) in PFS. Pooled OR was 6.61 (95% CI: 4.50-9.73; P < .00001) in complete pathologic response. Pooled OR was 9.59 (95% CI: 3.56-25.85; P < .00001) in any pathologic response. Evidence quality assessments for each 5 comparisons using the GRADE approach were that Certainty was moderate in 1, low in 1, and very low in 3.

CONCLUSIONS

Administration of NAC before surgery in bladder cancer patients with VH might confer better survival outcomes and higher pathologic down staging rate than no administration of NAC before surgery.

International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) Consensus Conference on Current Issues in Bladder Cancer. Working Group 2: Grading of Mixed Grade, Invasive Urothelial Carcinoma Including Histologic Subtypes and Divergent Differentiations, and Non-Urothelial Carcinomas

The 2022 International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) Consensus Conference on Urinary Bladder Cancer Working Group 2 was tasked to provide evidence-based proposals on the applications of grading in noninvasive urothelial carcinoma with mixed grades, invasive urothelial carcinoma including subtypes (variants) and divergent differentiations, and in pure non-urothelial carcinomas. Studies suggested that predominantly low-grade noninvasive papillary urothelial carcinoma with focal high-grade component has intermediate outcome between low- and high-grade tumors. However, no consensus was reached on how to define a focal high-grade component. By 2004 WHO grading, the vast majority of lamina propria-invasive (T1) urothelial carcinomas are high-grade, and the rare invasive low-grade tumors show only limited superficial invasion. While by 1973 WHO grading, the vast majority of T1 urothelial carcinomas are G2 and G3 and show significant differences in outcome based on tumor grade. No consensus was reached if T1 tumors should be graded either by the 2004 WHO system or by the 1973 WHO system. Because of the concern for underdiagnosis and underreporting with potential undertreatment, participants unanimously recommended that the presence of urothelial carcinoma subtypes and divergent differentiations should be reported. There was consensus that the extent of these subtypes and divergent differentiations should also be documented in biopsy, transurethral resection, and cystectomy specimens. Any distinct subtype and divergent differentiation should be diagnosed without a threshold cutoff, and each type should be enumerated in tumors with combined morphologies. The participants agreed that all subtypes and divergent differentiations should be considered high-grade according to the 2004 WHO grading system. However, participants strongly acknowledged that subtypes and divergent differentiations should not be considered as a homogenous group in terms of behavior. Thus, future studies should focus on individual subtypes and divergent differentiations rather than lumping these different entities into a single clinicopathological group. Likewise, clinical recommendations should pay attention to the potential heterogeneity of subtypes and divergent differentiations in terms of behavior and response to therapy. There was consensus that invasive pure squamous cell carcinoma and pure adenocarcinoma of the bladder should be graded according to the degree of differentiation. In conclusion, this summary of the International Society of Urological Pathology Working Group 2 proceedings addresses some of the issues on grading beyond its traditional application, including for papillary urothelial carcinomas with mixed grades and with invasive components. Reporting of subtypes and divergent differentiation is also addressed in detail, acknowledging their role in risk stratification. This report could serve as a guide for best practices and may advise future research and proposals on the prognostication of these tumors.

Novel Association of RAD54L Mutation with Müllerian Clear Cell Carcinoma of the Male Urethra: New Insights Regarding the Molecular Mechanisms of a Rare Tumour

INTRODUCTION

Müllerian clear cell carcinoma of the male urethra is similar to that of the female genital tract in terms of morphology and immunohistochemical expression but is rarely observed in clinical practice.

CASE PRESENTATION

Here, we report the case of a 65-year-old man diagnosed with Müllerian clear cell carcinoma who harboured a mutation in RAD54L. This patient was diagnosed by electrocautery and ultimately underwent prostatectomy. After a six-month follow-up period, no signs of recurrence or additional malignancy were found. Based on our analysis of the available literature, it appears that Müllerian clear cell carcinoma with RAD54L mutation has not been reported until now.

CONCLUSION

This case enhances our knowledge of the molecular biology of Müllerian clear cell carcinoma of the male urethra, which will help clinicians select optimal treatment options for this rare cancer in patients with specific driver mutations.

Ureteral Metastasis of Colonic Adenocarcinoma with Enteroblastic Differentiation: A Rare Case to be Distinguished from Clear Cell Adenocarcinoma of the Urinary Tract

Adenocarcinomas with enteroblastic differentiation are rare clear cell tumors that are positive for enteroblastic markers. Enteroblastic differentiation is particularly uncommon in colorectal adenocarcinomas. Herein, we report a case of clear cell adenocarcinoma with enteroblastic differentiation in the sigmoid colon of a 38-year-old Japanese woman that metastasized to the lower left ureter. After neoadjuvant chemotherapy, the patient underwent low anterior resection. The tumor consisted of tubular, cribriform, and focal micropapillary proliferation of clear cells immunopositive for spalt-like transcription factor 4 (SALL4), glypican 3, and alpha-fetoprotein. Six months after the colonic resection, a tumor was found in the left lower ureter, which was resected. The ureteral tumor revealed clear cell adenocarcinoma, which was identical to the colonic tumor proliferating in the ureteral mucosa. Metastatic ureteral tumors are rare. We performed a literature search and found only 50 reported cases of ureteral metastases from colorectal cancer. Of these, only 10 metastatic tumors were identified in the ureteral mucosa. No case of ureteral metastasis of clear cell colorectal adenocarcinoma or colorectal adenocarcinoma with enteroblastic differentiation has been reported. Hence, it can be challenging to distinguish them from clear cell adenocarcinoma of the urinary tract and/or clear cell urothelial carcinoma. This paper discussed the differential diagnosis of these tumors and reviewed the clinicopathological features of colorectal carcinomas metastasizing to the ureter.

Clear cell urothelial carcinoma of bladder: Case report of a rare and aggressive variant with review of literature

Clear cell urothelial carcinoma is a rare variant of urothelial carcinoma. It's recognition and accurate diagnosis are essential in deciding appropriate treatment protocols considering the prognosis of this variant. A 57-year-old male presented with a history of hematuria and lower urinary tract symptoms for 6 months. Microscopically, the tumor was arranged in sheets and had a nested pattern. The tumor was composed of round to polygonal cells with abundant clear cytoplasm (>90% clear cell differentiation), resembling a conventional clear renal cell carcinoma. On special stain, the tumor was positive for periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) and negative for periodic acid-Schiff with diastase (PAS-D) and mucicarmine stain. The urothelial origin of clear cells was confirmed by positivity for GATA Binding protein 3(GATA3) and High Molecular Weight Cytokeratin (HMWCK) immunohistochemistry and negativity for NK3 homeobox 1(NKX3.1), Prostate specific antigen (PSA) and Paired box gene 8 (PAX8) immunohistochemistry.

Prognostic impact of variant histologies in urothelial bladder cancer treated with radical cystectomy

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate variant histologies (VHs) for disease-specific survival (DSS) in patients with invasive urothelial bladder cancer (BCa) undergoing radical cystectomy (RC).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We analysed a multi-institutional cohort of 1082 patients treated with upfront RC for cT1-4aN0M0 urothelial BCa at eight centres. Univariable and multivariable Cox' regression analyses were used to assess the effect of different VHs on DSS in overall cohort and three stage-based analyses. The stages were defined as 'organ-confined' (≤pT2N0), 'locally advanced' (pT3-4N0) and 'node-positive' (pTanyN1-3).

RESULTS

Overall, 784 patients (72.5%) had pure urothelial carcinoma (UC), while the remaining 298 (27.5%) harboured a VH. Squamous differentiation was the most common VH, observed in 166 patients (15.3%), followed by micropapillary (40 patients [3.7%]), sarcomatoid (29 patients [2.7%]), glandular (18 patients [1.7%]), lymphoepithelioma-like (14 patients [1.3%]), small-cell (13 patients [1.2%]), clear-cell (eight patients [0.7%]), nested (seven patients [0.6%]) and plasmacytoid VH (three patients [0.3%]). The median follow-up was 2.3 years. Overall, 534 (49.4%) disease-related deaths occurred. In uni- and multivariable analyses, plasmacytoid and small-cell VHs were associated with worse DSS in the overall cohort (both P = 0.04). In univariable analyses, sarcomatoid VH was significantly associated with worse DSS, while lymphoepithelioma-like VH had favourable DSS compared to pure UC. Clear-cell (P = 0.015) and small-cell (P = 0.011) VH were associated with worse DSS in the organ-confined and node-positive cohorts, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

More than 25% of patients harboured a VH at time of RC. Compared to pure UC, clear-cell, plasmacytoid, small-cell and sarcomatoid VHs were associated with worse DSS, while lymphoepithelioma-like VH was characterized by a DSS benefit. Accurate pathological diagnosis of VHs may ensure tailored counselling to identify patients who require more intensive management.

Clear cell carcinoma of the stomach: a rare tumor variant imparting poor prognosis

INTRODUCTION

Clear cell gastric cancer (CCGC) represents an extremely rare variant of adenocarcinoma of the stomach. It can be mistaken for a clear cell metastatic lesion arising from other anatomic parts, especially renal cell carcinoma.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We describe the case of a 66-year-old woman who was operated for a pyloric adenocarcinoma which resulted to be a CCGC at definitive histology. Moreover, we offer a systematic review of the current pertinent literature on CCGC.

RESULTS

Our case represents the 160th example of CCGC. Clear cell aspect is due to the intracytoplasmic accumulation of glycogen in most cases, followed by mucin, lipid or water; the reason of the underlying biochemical process is still unclear. Paralleling other epithelial clear cell malignancies (as ovarian, bladder, urothelial or pancreatic cancers), also CCGC shows a more aggressive clinical behavior over conventional neoplastic counterparts.

CONCLUSIONS

Differently from clear cell carcinomas involving other organs, CCGC has been rarely investigated by the literature. Since, compared to non clear cell cancers, this particular phenotype of gastric cancer appears to be associated with poorer prognosis, further studies are needed in order to corroborate its real adverse prognostic significance and standardize the correct management and treatment.

GATA3 Expression in Human Tumors: A Tissue Microarray Study on 16,557 Tumors

INTRODUCTION

GATA3 is a transcription factor involved in epithelial cell differentiation. GATA3 immunostaining is used as a diagnostic marker for breast and urothelial cancer but can also occur in other neoplasms.

METHODS

To evaluate GATA3 in normal and tumor tissues, a tissue microarray containing 16,557 samples from 131 different tumor types and subtypes and 608 samples of 76 different normal tissue types was analyzed by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

GATA3 positivity was found in 69 different tumor types including 23 types (18%) with at least one strongly positive tumor. Highest positivity rates occurred in noninvasive papillary urothelial carcinoma (92-99%), lobular carcinoma (98%), carcinoma of no special type of the breast (92%), basal cell carcinoma of the skin (97%), invasive urothelial carcinoma (73%), T-cell lymphoma (23%), adenocarcinoma of the salivary gland (16%), squamous cell carcinoma of the skin (16%), and colorectal neuroendocrine carcinoma (12%). In breast cancer, low GATA3 staining was linked to high pT stage (p = 0.03), high BRE grade (p < 0.0001), HER2 overexpression (p = 0.0085), estrogen and progesterone receptor negativity (p < 0.0001 each), and reduced survival (p = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

Our data demonstrate that GATA3 positivity can occur in various tumor entities. Low levels of GATA3 reflect cancer progression and poor patient prognosis in breast cancer.

Urothelial Carcinoma: Divergent Differentiation and Morphologic Subtypes

Urothelial carcinoma (UC) is known to encompass a wide spectrum of morphologic features and molecular alterations. Approximately 15% to 25% of invasive UC exhibits histomorphologic features in the form of "divergent differentiation" along other epithelial lineages, or different "subtypes" of urothelial or sarcomatoid differentiation. It is recommended that the percentage of divergent differentiation and or subtype(s) be reported whenever possible. Recent advances in molecular biology have led to a better understanding of the molecular underpinning of these morphologic variations. In this review, we highlight histologic characteristics of the divergent differentiation and subtypes recognized by the latest version of WHO classification, with updates on their molecular and clinical features.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy for muscle-invasive bladder cancer: does variant histology matter?

PURPOSE

The most frequent histology of bladder tumors is urothelial carcinoma. Most are pure urothelial carcinomas (PUC) but up to one-third of the cases present variant histological (VH) features. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of variant histology in neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) response in patients with urothelial muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

METHODS

We retrospectively analyzed data from 77 patients with bladder cancer who performed neoadjuvant chemotherapy at two institutions.

RESULTS

Complete pathological response (ypT0) was higher in patients with PUC (38.5%), comparing with VH (12%). Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that variant histology is associated with an 89% lesser likelihood of tumor downstaging, with advanced clinical T stages and positive smoking history as independent predictors. The estimated mean cancer-specific survival was 68.91 months for PUC patients and 50.23 months for VH patients (log rank test, P = 0.024). Multivariate Cox regression analysis demonstrated that VH and clinical T stage were independent predictors of cancer-specific survival, indicating a worse outcome for patients with VH and advanced clinical T stages.

CONCLUSIONS

There are only a few retrospective studies evaluating the clinical impact of variant histology tumors, which are mainly managed as PUC. Our results demonstrate that VH is associated with a worse likelihood of tumor downstaging after NAC and a worse cancer-specific survival in bladder cancer patients. There is a need for further studies and genetic analysis to identify the patients most likely to achieve ypT0 status and downstaging after NAC.

Overview of histologic variants of urothelial carcinoma: current trends and narrative review on treatment outcomes

Background and Objective

The histologic variants of urothelial carcinoma (UC) are tumors arising from within the urothelium in which some component of the tumor morphology is other than urothelial. They are underdiagnosed, aggressive and have varying pathologic response rates to systemic chemotherapy. There are no consensus guidelines on the use of systemic chemotherapy in variant histology (VH) of UC. We performed a contemporary review on pathologic response rates to neoadjuvant systemic therapy and survival outcomes following radical cystectomy in order to provide a rationale for clinical practice recommendations on the management of UC with VH.

Methods

A PubMed literature search was conducted for all English articles from inception reporting either pathological response rates to neoadjuvant treatment or survival outcomes after radical cystectomy in non-metastatic VH of UC.

Key Content and Findings

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) prior to radical cystectomy was shown to be a beneficial treatment strategy in UC with VH. The micropapillary, plasmacytoid, nested and sarcomatoid histologic variants were associated with worse survival outcomes compared to conventional UC and UC with squamous or glandular differentiation despite initial downstaging with chemotherapy. There is evidence of improved survival in patients with sarcomatoid differentiation receiving NAC compared to RC alone. The major prognostic factors that affect survival outcomes in VH of UC include histologic variant subtype, patient age, presence of lymphovascular invasion, hydronephrosis, nodal metastasis and advanced T stage at diagnosis. Recent studies demonstrate that VH of UC are heterogenous tumors and responsiveness to NAC may be a function of the molecular subtypes present.

Conclusions

Based on these findings, NAC to achieve pathologic downstaging prior to radical cystectomy is recommended for MIBC with VH. Biomarkers identified by molecular profiling with immunohistochemistry will need to be validated as predictors of response to NAC in future trials.

Proteomics as a Complementary Technique to Characterize Bladder Cancer

Simple Summary

Although immunohistochemistry is a routine technique in clinics, and genomics has been rapidly incorporated, proteomics is a step behind. This general situation is also the norm in bladder cancer research. This review shows the contributions of proteomics to the molecular classification of bladder cancer, and to the study of histopathology due to tissue insults caused by tumors. Furthermore, the importance of proteomics for understanding the cellular and molecular changes as a consequence of the therapy of bladder cancer cannot be neglected.

Abstract

Bladder cancer (BC) is the most common tumor of the urinary tract and is conventionally classified as either non-muscle invasive or muscle invasive. In addition, histological variants exist, as organized by the WHO-2016 classification. However, innovations in next-generation sequencing have led to molecular classifications of BC. These innovations have also allowed for the tracing of major tumorigenic pathways and, therefore, are positioned as strong supporters of precision medicine. In parallel, immunohistochemistry is still the clinical reference to discriminate histological layers and to stage BC. Key contributions have been made to enlarge the panel of protein immunomarkers. Moreover, the analysis of proteins in liquid biopsy has also provided potential markers. Notwithstanding, their clinical adoption is still low, with very few approved tests. In this context, mass spectrometry-based proteomics has remained a step behind; hence, we aimed to develop them in the community. Herein, the authors introduce the epidemiology and the conventional classifications to review the molecular classification of BC, highlighting the contributions of proteomics. Then, the advances in mass spectrometry techniques focusing on maintaining the integrity of the biological structures are presented, a milestone for the emergence of histoproteomics. Within this field, the review then discusses selected proteins for the comprehension of the pathophysiological mechanisms of BC. Finally, because there is still insufficient knowledge, this review considers proteomics as an important source for the development of BC therapies.

Clear Cell Adenocarcinoma of the Ureter Similar to Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma Histology

A 70-year-old woman was referred to our hospital with gross hematuria and diagnosed with right invasive ureteral cancer and bladder urothelial carcinoma in situ. Intravesical BCG therapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy with carboplatin and gemcitabine were performed at the same time. Subsequently, laparoscopic right nephroureterectomy was performed. Urothelial carcinoma in situ persisted; however, most of the tumor was clear cell carcinoma. The clear cell carcinoma lesion had clear cytoplasm with round nuclei and visible nucleoli in an insular arrangement as is the case with clear cell renal cell carcinoma. No transitional lesion between clear cell adenocarcinoma and urothelial carcinoma was presented. The clear cell carcinoma lesion was GATA3 negative and HNF4α positive; however, the urothelial cancer lesion was GATA3 positive and HNF4α negative. Clear cell carcinoma was diagnosed as clear cell adenocarcinoma similar to clear cell renal cell carcinoma histology.

Clear Cell Adenocarcinoma in Men: A Series of 15 Cases

Clear cell adenocarcinoma (CCA) is a rare tumor in the genitourinary tract with female predominance and few reports in men. We identified 15 cases of CCA in men evaluated at our institution. Five arose in the bladder, 7 in the prostate or prostatic urethra, 2 in the membranous urethra (1 multifocal in the prostatic and membranous urethra), 1 periprostatic (likely from an embryologic remnant), and 1 between rectum and bladder (likely in a prostatic utricle cyst). No cases showed associated Müllerian structures. One case showed separate foci of nephrogenic adenoma at diagnosis, and 1 case showed urothelial carcinoma in situ on a later follow-up biopsy. Four tumors extended into other organs (prostate to seminal vesicle and periprostatic soft tissue, periprostatic soft tissue to prostate, prostatic urethra to bladder and rectum, and prostate to bladder neck). One tumor showed extraprostatic extension alone. Four tumors metastasized to lymph nodes, with 3 also metastasizing to other sites (bladder, lung and adrenal, and right flank). Eleven patients underwent resection, including 3 transurethral resections. Seven underwent other treatments, including radiation (5 [1 for recurrence]), chemotherapy (3), hormonal therapy (3), immunotherapy with nivolumab (1), and targeted therapy with gefitinib (1). The mean follow-up was 35 months (range: 1 to 138 mo). At the last follow-up, 7 patients showed no evident disease and 3 were alive with disease. Four died with the cause of death unknown, with 2 cases having confirmed disease at the time of death and the remaining 2 dying less than a year after diagnosis. The mean time to death was 16 months (range: 6 to 39 mo). No follow-up was available on 1 patient. All patients who died in this series had CCA of the prostate or prostatic urethra. Pathologists need to be attuned to CCA occurring in males, given that the literature emphasizes its occurrence in females. In addition to established sites such as bladder and urethra, our series demonstrates that tumor may present in unusual adjacent sites, such as in periprostatic embryologic remnants or prostatic utricle.

Unusual Faces of Bladder Cancer

Simple Summary

The spectrum of architectural and cytological findings in UC is wide, although transitional cell carcinoma, either papillary or flat, low- or high-grade, constitutes the majority of cases in routine practice. Some of these changes are just mere morphological variations, but others must be recognized since they have importance for the patient. The goal of this review is to compile this histological variability giving to the general pathologist a general idea of this morphological spectrum in a few pages. The review also updates the literature focusing specifically on the morphological and immunohistochemical clues useful for the diagnosis and some selected molecular studies with prognostic and/or diagnostic implications.

Abstract

The overwhelming majority of bladder cancers are transitional cell carcinomas. Albeit mostly monotonous, carcinomas in the bladder may occasionally display a broad spectrum of histological features that should be recognized by pathologists because some of them represent a diagnostic problem and/or lead prognostic implications. Sometimes these features are focal in the context of conventional transitional cell carcinomas, but some others are generalized across the tumor making its recognition a challenge. For practical purposes, the review distributes the morphologic spectrum of changes in architecture and cytology. Thus, nested and large nested, micropapillary, myxoid stroma, small tubules and adenoma nephrogenic-like, microcystic, verrucous, and diffuse lymphoepithelioma-like, on one hand, and plasmacytoid, signet ring, basaloid-squamous, yolk-sac, trophoblastic, rhabdoid, lipid/lipoblastic, giant, clear, eosinophilic (oncocytoid), and sarcomatoid, on the other, are revisited. Key histological and immunohistochemical features useful in the differential diagnosis are mentioned. In selected cases, molecular data associated with the diagnosis, prognosis, and/or treatment are also included.

Histologic Variants of Urothelial Carcinoma: Morphology, Molecular Features and Clinical Implications

Bladder cancer is a heterogeneous disease including conventional urothelial carcinoma (UC) and its histologic variants, and non-urothelial carcinoma, including squamous and glandular neoplasms. Urothelial carcinoma accounts for the majority of bladder cancer cases, but morphologic variants are common and include nested, microcystic, micropapillary, lymphoepithelioma-like, plasmacytoid, sarcomatoid, giant cell, undifferentiated, clear cell and lipoid. Certain variants of UC tend to be associated with a poor prognosis and have diagnostic and potential treatment implications that make the identification of variant histology crucial to clinical decision making. While there is still uncertainty regarding the prognostic implications of many of these variants, identifying and reporting variant histology is important to develop our understanding of their biology. Unique molecular features accompany many of these morphologic variants and to better understand these tumors, we review the molecular and clinical implications of histologic variants of bladder cancer. Major efforts are underway to include variant histology and divergent differentiation of UC in clinical trials to develop evidence based approaches to treatment. The purpose of this article is to review the current literature on variant histology of urothelial cancer and to highlight molecular findings and the clinical relevance of these tumors.

Clear cell urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder - a rare pathological entity. A case report and a systematic review of the literature

The most common histological type of urinary bladder cancer is urothelial carcinoma (UC). In contrast, the clear cell variant of urothelial carcinoma (CCUC) is quite a rare neoplasm. In this study, we report a case of an 81-year-old male, presenting with gross hematuria and acute urinary retention, which was subsequently diagnosed with CCUC at our pathology department. Furthermore, we provide a short systematic review of the literature (PubMed, Scopus, and Science Citation Index) for this rare histopathological entity and a brief discussion about its morphological and immunohistochemical (IHC) characteristics.

Primary clear-cell urothelial carcinoma of urinary bladder: a not-so-clear entity with review of literature

Primary clear-cell urothelial carcinoma (CCUC) is an uncommon type of urothelial cancer with only 16 cases reported in published literature. Due to the rarity of the tumour, its clinical and prognostic values have not been clearly understood. We present one such rare clinical diagnosis in a 60-year- old man who underwent radical cystectomy (RC) with ileal conduit for urinary bladder cancer. Histopathology showed features of high-grade CCUC infiltrating the muscularis propria. Immunohistochemistry revealed diffuse immunopositivity of pan cytokeratin (CK), GATA3, P40, CK7 but was immunonegative for CD10 and vimentin. Our patient expired 4 months after diagnosis. CCUC has recently been included in the WHO 2016 classification of urothelial tumours. Most of the patients present with poor prognosis. Accurate diagnosis and recognition of this unusual variant are essential for better patient management and prognosis. Early RC seems to be the preferred way of management.

Molecular and histopathology directed therapy for advanced bladder cancer

Bladder cancer is a heterogeneous group of tumours with at least 40 histological subgroups. Patients with localized disease can be cured with surgical resection or radiotherapy, but such curative options are limited in the setting of recurrent disease or distant spread, in which case systemic therapy is used to control disease and palliate symptoms. Cytotoxic chemotherapy has been the mainstay of treatment for advanced bladder cancer, but high-quality evidence is lacking to inform the management of rare subgroups that are often excluded from studies. Advances in molecular pathology, the development of targeted therapies and the resurgence of immunotherapy have led to the reclassification of bladder cancer subgroups and rigorous efforts to define predictive biomarkers for cancer therapies. In this Review, we present the current evidence for the management of conventional, variant and divergent urothelial cancer subtypes, as well as non-urothelial bladder cancers, and discuss how the integration of genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic characterization of bladder cancer could guide future therapies.

Diagnostic and prognostic roles of CK20 in the pathology of urothelial lesions. A systematic review

Cytokeratin 20 (CK20) is one of the most common immunohistochemical markers in the routine practice of a pathology lab, as biopsies from the urinary tract encompass a wide spectrum of lesions which may pose issues in their detection and classification. In this review, we aim to outline the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value of CK20 in flat urothelial lesions, papillary non-invasive and invasive urothelial carcinoma, molecular subgroups and variant histology, and we briefly discuss its limitations and potential pitfalls.