Squamotransitional Cell Carcinoma of the Vagina: Diagnosis and Clinical Management

Non-invasive papillary urothelial carcinoma of the vagina: molecular analysis of a rare case identifies clonal relationship to non-invasive urothelial carcinoma of the bladder

We present a rare case of non-invasive papillary urothelial carcinoma of the vagina as the initial presentation of a multicentric urothelial carcinoma also involving bladder and renal pelvis and report for the first time in the literature the molecular alterations observed in the vaginal urothelial lesion and the synchronous lesions of the urinary tract. In this case, the non-invasive papillary urothelial carcinoma in the vagina displayed the same genetic alterations in the FGFR3 and PIK3CA genes as those seen in the non-invasive papillary urothelial carcinoma of the bladder contrasting with the wild phenotype observed in the invasive urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis. This observation could reinforce the theory of "seeding" of carcinoma cells as a valid and most likely explanation of this multifocality. In addition, we emphasize in this report the importance of recognizing this rare lesion in the female genital tract and its differential diagnosis.

Bladder and vaginal transitional cell carcinoma: A case report

The involvement of the female genital tract in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) has not been fully elucidated in women, although involvement is usually associated with a poor prognosis. The vagina, in particular, is considered to be the most commonly affected gynecological organ, with an incidence of 4% of total TCC cases. The pathogenesis of vaginal TCC is challenging to determine, although it is essential for the adequate management of the tumor and to determine the appropriate treatment. The present study reports a case of bladder TCC and metachronous vaginal TCC. The patient had a history of high risk non muscle invasive bladder cancer treated by BCG and presented with a recurrent carcinoma in situ. A novel cycle of BCG was initiated but the patient had a persistent disease and a palpable mass on bimanual examination. Radical anterior pelvectomy and bilateral pelvic and inguinal lymph node dissection was performed revealing the presence of TCC of the bladder neck and the invasion into the anterior vaginal wall. The differences between local vaginal invasion and the metastatic spread from a primary bladder TCC, the occurrence of a second primary vaginal tumor and the direct implantation of TCC via urine that contains transitional cancer cells were reviewed and analyzed. Finally, a management plan was determined.