Small-cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder. A clinico-pathological study of ten cases

• Published in: Virchows Archiv : an international journal of pathology Vol. 445; no. 3; pp. 292 - 297
• Main Authors: SORIANO, P, NAVARRO, S, GIL, M, LLOMBART-BOSCH, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01.09.2004; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers, Tumor - analysis; Bone Neoplasms - secondary; Carcinoma, Small Cell - metabolism; Carcinoma, Small Cell - mortality; Carcinoma, Small Cell - pathology; Female; Humans; Immunohistochemistry; Immunotherapy; Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects); Liver Neoplasms - secondary; Lymphatic Metastasis - pathology; Male; Medical diagnosis; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques; Prognosis; Sex Factors; Soft Tissue Neoplasms - secondary; Thyroid; Thyroid Hormone Receptors alpha - metabolism; Urinary bladder; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms - metabolism; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms - mortality; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms - pathology; Immunohistochemistry; Immunohistochemical; Oat-cell carcinoma; erbB2 Gene; Malignant tumor; Small-cell carcinoma; c-erbB2; Survival; Case study; Anatomic pathology; Urinary system; Urinary bladder; Small cell carcinoma
• ISSN: 0945-6317; 1432-2307
• DOI: 10.1007/s00428-004-1041-1

Small-cell carcinoma (SCC) of the urinary bladder is an infrequent neoplasia accounting for 0.5% of all tumors located at this level. There is a predilection for males over females with a 4:1 proportion and a median age of 66 years. In most cases, the initial diagnosis is made at the metastatic or progressive stage of the disease. For this study, we collected ten cases of SCC of the urinary bladder, diagnosed over a period of 16 years, to describe the morphological and immunocytochemical characteristics of these infrequent neoplasia. In all cases, clinical data such as age at presentation, personal background, clinical symptoms, stage, treatment, clinical outcome and present status were available. Primary antibodies included chromogranin, neuron-specific enolase, synaptophysin, PGP 9.5, HNK-1, cytokeratin 34betaE12, cytokeratin 20, thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1), c-erbB2 (CB-11), p53 (DO7), and Ki67 (MIB-1). In addition to the expression of neural/neuroendocrine markers, immunostaining for p53 and c-erbB2 was found in 80% and 50% of cases, respectively. In this paper, we confirm the aggressive course of the neoplastic disease. The expression of c-erbB2 in 50% of cases opens up hypothetical new possibilities for the use of immunotherapy in such cases.