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Bladder

Urothelial neoplasms-noninvasive

High grade papillary urothelial carcinoma

 

Reviewers: Rugvedita Parakh, MD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (see Reviewers page)

Revised: 17 July 2010, last major update - May 2010

Copyright: (c) 2002-2010, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.

 

Definition

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●  A neoplasm with urothelium lining papillary fronds, a predominant disorderly pattern and moderate to marked architectural and cytologic atypia

● ICD-O: 8130/2 or /3

 

Epidemiology

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● Usually ages 50+, male (M:F = 6-8:1)

 

Clinical features

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● Gross or microscopic hematuria is common

May invade adjacent structures or regional lymph nodes

● Late dissemination to liver, lung, marrow

Grade 3 of 4 in Ash system

 

Prognostic factors

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● High rate (15-40%) of progression to invasive disease

● Prognosis is better for pTa (noninvasive) than pT1 (invasive into lamina propria) (Am J Clin Pathol 2010;133:788)

 

Treatment

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Transurethral resection and fulguration of visible tumor

Radical cystectomy, variable chemotherapy or radiation therapy

In men, radical therapy includes cystoprostatectomy and excision of seminar vesicles

● In women, radical therapy includes excision of uterus, tubes, ovaries, anterior vagina, urethra

Ileal conduit is fashioned into a new bladder with reimplantation of ureters

 

Clinical images

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Cystoscopy

 

Gross description (Macroscopy)

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Sessile or cauliflower-like with necrosis and ulceration

● Exophytic papillary growth

 

Gross images

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Multifocal papillary tumor

 

Micro description (Histopathology)

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● Predominantly disorderly appearance (loss of linear orientation perpendicular to basement membrane) at low power with prominent architectural and cytologic abnormalities

Often have complex papillary architecture showing anastomosis of papillae and confluence on low-power examination

● Often cellular dyscohesion and denudation

More nuclear pleomorphism / anaplasia than low grade, clumped chromatin, irregular nuclear contour, prominent nucleoli, irregularly clustered cells with crowding and overlapping, disorganized epithelium, mitotic figures at all levels including surface, which may be atypical

● Some tumors may show more monomorphic nuclei; nuclear rounding is common

Highest grade tumors may not appear urothelial, may have indistinct cell borders

Associated with carcinoma in situ or dysplasia in adjacent nonpapillary urothelium

Grade according to highest grade within a tumor, ignoring miniscule areas of higher grade tumor

High-grade designation is clinical threshold for adjuvant intravesical therapy

● Must exclude areas of invasion

 

Micro images

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Series of high grade tumors           Grade 2 tumors have more atypia than grade 1 tumors

 

 

Transition from grade 2 to 3 within same tumor

 

 

  

Grade 3 tumor with marked atypia and architectural disorganization

 

 

  

Grade 3 tumor resembles papilloma at high power, but nuclear anaplasia is apparent at high power

 

 

                               

Grade 3 tumor with voluminous cytoplasm                 Grade 3 tumor with apoptotic cells

 

 

Grade 3 tumor that lacks urothelial characteristics

 

 

Unfortunately we are unable to provide accessible alternative text for this. If you require assistance to access this image, please contact help@nature.com or the author                                                               
H&E, loss of CD44, diffusely CK20+                               Fig G-I: H&E, Survivin, Ki-67

 

Other images: #1#2

 

Cytology images

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Intermediate grade papillary urothelial carcinoma

 

 

            

High grade

 

Positive stains

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● CK20 (Mod Pathol 2000;13:1315)

● Also Ki-67 and Survivin (Arch Pathol Lab Med 2008;132:224), p53 (Arch Pathol Lab Med 2001;125:646)

● Overexpression of p16(INK4a) (Am J Clin Pathol 2009;132:776)

Beta hCG in 1/3 of urothelial carcinomas, particularly high grade or high stage tumors (Hum Pathol 1998;29:377)

● Estrogen receptor in 14% (Arch Pathol Lab Med 2005;129:194)

 

Negative stains

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Blood group antigens

No/weak expression of E-cadherin (Hum Pathol 1995;26:940)

 

Molecular / cytogenetics description

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● Often aneuploid

● Overexpression of p53, HER2, EGFR and loss of p21Waf1 or P27kip1

● Deletion of 2q, 5q, 10q, 18q, and gain at 5p, 20q.

 

Differential Diagnosis

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Inverted urothelial papilloma: may mimic endophytic growth in high-grade urothelial carcinoma; cytologically bland

Low grade papillary urothelial carcinoma: nuclear and architectural features are less atypical; mitoses are variable but not on surface; cellular dyscohesion less common; prominent umbrella cells are occasionally seen

Papillary nephrogenic adenoma / metaplasia: papillae are lined by single cuboidal layer; no/minimal atypia; PAX2+, PAX8+

Polypoid / papillary cystitis: broad papillae with stromal edema; do not have complex secondary or tertiary branching typical of papillary urothelial neoplasia; reactive urothelial atypia

Prostatic adenocarcinoma: papillary neoplasm that may extend into bladder from prostatic urethra; papillae typically lined by monomorphic columnar cells; PSA+, PAP+

Prostatic-type polyp: papillae lined by mixed prostatic secretory and urothelial cells; PSA+ and PAP+ secretory cell component

Villoglandular differentiation: elderly males, superficial filliform processes lined by glands intimately mixed with high grade urothelial carcinoma (in situ or invasive) and other aggressive variants of urothelial carcinoma (Mod Pathol 2009;22:1280)

 

End of Bladder > Urothelial neoplasms-noninvasive > High grade papillary urothelial carcinoma

 

 

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