Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder: A Clinicopathological Study of Four Cases and a Review of the Literature

Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the bladder is a relatively rare tumor. There are no specific diagnostic tests and it is usually diagnosed in advanced stage. Therefore, the prognosis is poor and most patients die. The only proved predisposing factor is chronic irritation of the bladder by urinary infection, calculi and long-term indwelling catheterization. Here we are reviewing the pathologic and clinical characteristics of four consecutive cases of this rare tumor. Three patients were males and the remaining one was female. The median age was 70.1 years (range, 62 - 74 years). Patients underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor. In all the four cases, the diagnosis of bladder SCC was established on the pathologic examination of the resected tissue. Three out of these four patients died within 22 months of the diagnosis of SCC, while the remaining is alive and disease-free 2 years after initial. The aggressive nature of the tumor precludes radical therapy whenever possible, since adjuvant therapy seems to have little effect. World J Nephrol Urol. 2014;3(1):58-62 doi: http://dx.doi.org/ 10.14740 / wjnu152w