Small Cell Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder—Histogenesis, Genetics, Diagnosis, Biomarkers, Treatment, and Prognosis
- 1 March 2007
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) in Applied Immunohistochemistry & Molecular Morphology
- Vol. 15 (1), 8-18
- https://doi.org/10.1097/01.pai.0000213106.12731.d7
Abstract
Small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder is a rare but highly aggressive malignancy with a dismal prognosis. Most patients present with advanced disease at the time of diagnosis. Hematuria is the most frequent presenting symptom. Histologically, small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder is indistinguishable from its pulmonary counterpart. Coexistence with other types of carcinoma is common. Histogenesis is uncertain; there are several competing theories, including origin from stem cells, from urothelial cells, and from neuroendocrine cells in normal or metaplastic urothelium. The molecular pathogenesis remains unclear. Immunohistochemical staining can be extremely helpful in establishing the diagnosis, and in investigating the use of potential therapeutic strategies. Currently, combinations of surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy represent the main treatment options. The recent observation of c-kit and epidermal growth factor receptor expression in more than 25% of patients with urinary bladder small cell carcinoma opens new avenues for further investigation. Improvement in survival may depend upon the identification of new molecular markers to facilitate earlier diagnosis and the development of novel targeted therapies. In this paper, we review general aspects of small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder, focusing on the ways in which our understanding of this entity has been positively influenced by studies of the histopathologic and immunohistochemical findings, and by investigations of genetic alterations in this disease.Keywords
This publication has 54 references indexed in Scilit:
- Small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladderCancer, 2004
- Small-cell carcinoma of the gastrointestinal tract: a retrospective study of 64 casesBritish Journal of Cancer, 2004
- Neuroendocrine Small Cell Carcinoma of the Uterine Cervix: What Disease? What Treatment? Report of Ten Cases and a Review of the LiteratureClinical Oncology, 2000
- Small cell carcinoma of the bladder and prostateUrology, 1995
- Neuroendocrine Primary Small Cell Carcinoma of the Breast Report of a Case and Review of the LiteratureAmerican Journal of Clinical Oncology, 1995
- Small-Cell Carcinoma of the EndometriumThe American Journal of Surgical Pathology, 1994
- Small Cell Carcinoma of the Urinary TractBJU International, 1990
- Small cell carcinoma of prostateUrology, 1989
- Neurosecretory granules in small cell invasive carcinoma of the urinary bladderCancer, 1981
- Oat Cell Carcinoma of the LarynxThe Laryngoscope, 1978