Transitional Cell Carcinoma in the Pediatric Patient: A Review of the Literature

Low-grade papillary urothelial neoplasm: A case report study

Urothelial carcinoma (UC) of the bladder is a prevalent malignant tumor among the elderly, whereas its incidence is scarce in the first 2 decades of life. The most commonly reported symptom in the literature is isolated hematuria, frequently overlooked during the initial medical assessment. In this study, we present the case of a 3-year-old male with hematuria, accompanied by other irritative symptoms such as flank pain, nausea, and vomiting. Ultrasonography revealed a bladder mass, which was later confirmed to be a noninvasive low-grade papillary urothelial carcinoma (NLPUC) through histopathological examination. This report discusses the clinical and pathological characteristics of the case and examines current literature on the topic.

Is iodine-125 seed strand brachytherapy suitable for ureteral carcinoma?

BACKGROUND

Long-term conventional high-dose radiation therapy can lead to retroperitoneal fibrosis and nerve damage in patients with advanced ureteral carcinoma (UC). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of nephrostomy combined with iodine-125 seed strand (ISS) brachytherapy for the treatment of UC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-one patients with UC were treated with nephrostomy combined with ISS brachytherapy. The following parameters were recorded: technical success rate, procedure time, complications, mean D90 (dose delivered to the 90% gross tumor volume), organ at risk (OAR) dose, local control rate (LCR), ureteral patency (UP), local tumor progression (LTP), and overall survival (OS). The hydronephrosis score (HS), visual analog score (VAS), Karnofsky score and maximum diameter (MD) were compared before and 8 weeks after the operation.

RESULTS

The technical success rate was 100%, with a mean procedure time of 54.6 min. Three cases (14.5%) had bladder implant metastasis but no other major complications, such as ureteral perforation, infection, or severe bleeding, occurred. The mean D90 and OAR doses were 50.7 and 3.8 Gy, respectively. LCR was 100% with 28.6% UP at the 8-week evaluation. During the mean follow-up of 16.6 months, LTP occurred in 4 cases (19.1%), and the median OS was 25.0 months (95% CI 21.3-28.5). The HS, VAS, Karnofsky score and MD showed significant changes (all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

UC can be safely and effectively treated by nephrostomy combined with ISS brachytherapy, a viable option for patients who cannot undergo or refuse surgical resection.

Genitourinary Tract Tumors in Children: An Update

BACKGROUND

Genitourinary tract tumors in children are less common than in adults. Most of these tumors have different genetic backgrounds, clinical presentation, and oncologic behavior than their adult counterpart. As a result of low prevalence in children, some of the treatment approaches and recommendations are based on treatment experience in adult patients. However, thanks to scientific and technological development, survival rates have risen considerably.

OBJECTIVE

This paper presents a review of the principal features of the tumors involving the genitourinary tract in children and an update in genetic background, diagnosis, and treatment.

METHODS

A narrative review was performed on published literature about genitourinary tract tumors in pediatric patients. Papers presented in English and Spanish literature were reviewed. PubMed, Science Direct, and SciELO databases were used to collect information and present this article.

RESULTS

Kidney tumors are the most common type of genitourinary tumors in children. Among those, Wilms tumor represents the majority of cases and shows the successful work of clinical trial groups studying this tumor type. Other tumors involving the genitourinary tract in children include Rhabdomyosarcoma, Transitional cell carcinoma, Testicular, and Adrenal tumors.

CONCLUSION

Genitourinary tract tumors in children represent significant morbidity and economic burden, so awareness in early diagnosis represents improvement in treatment, clinical, and oncological outcomes.

Urothelial carcinoma in a child with gross hematuria: a complaint not to be dismissed

Hematuria is not uncommonly seen among children. We describe the case of a 13-year-old boy who was diagnosed with urothelial carcinoma after presenting with persistent gross hematuria for 2 weeks. We highlight the importance of adequate workup for gross hematuria as it is often associated with an underlying pathology that could lead to significant morbidity if left undiagnosed.

Urothelial bladder carcinoma in childhood: a case report

We report an exceptional case of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder in a 14-years old boy without personal nor family history who consulted for a total hematuria. Work-up showed a bladder lesion sized 5cm with histology of urothelial cancer. Treatment consisted of a transurethral surgery with carcinologic complete resection. Patient is alive, free of disease with a follow-up of 36 months.

Unusual presentation of diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in children: bilateral ureteral involvement

Non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) are common malignant tumors in children and adolescents. Among them diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) are relatively rare as compared to non-cleaved small cell lymphoma (mostly Burkitt's-BL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma (LL). While BL has abdominal or cervical site predilection, LL (mostly T-cell) tends to have mediastinal involvement. However, diffuse large B-cell lymphomas may involve abdomen, peripheral lymph nodes, skin, bone, other rare sites. Ureteral NHLs are extremely rare in children; however, many cases have been reported in adults. In adults the histopathology is usually follicular lymphoma. Only one case of unilateral ureter DLBCL has been reported in an adolescent in the past. Here we report a case of bilateral ureteral DLBCL to highlight the unusual presentation of NHLs and that it should be considered in the differential diagnosis of acute renal insufficiency.

Urothelial cell carcinoma of the bladder in pediatric patients: a systematic review and data analysis of the world literature

BACKGROUND

Urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) of the bladder is exceedingly rare in pediatric patients. Limited data are available to guide management in this population.

METHODS

The authors systematically searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar (through February 2019) for case reports and series to summarize data regarding presentation, evaluation, management, and follow-up for patients ≤ 18 years diagnosed with UCC of the bladder. Patient-level data were abstracted, and adjusted logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with a combined outcome of recurrence or death.

RESULTS

One hundred two articles describing 243 patients from 26 countries met criteria. Average age was 12.5 years, 32.6% were female, 15.3% had medical comorbidities, and 13.2% had known risk factors for bladder cancer. Initial management was transurethral resection in 95.5% of patients, whereas 6.2% required secondary intervention. Tumor stage was TaN0M0 in 86.4% and low grade in 93.4%. Recurrence and death occurred in 8.6% and 3.7%, respectively. Mean time to recurrence or death was 8.6 months (standard deviation [SD] 7.6) for 10.7%. Mean disease free follow-up without recurrence or death was 56.9 months (SD 54.2) for 89.3%. Patients with comorbidities, risk factors, or family history (odds ratio [OR]: 2.4, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-5.6); ≥TaN0M0 disease (OR: 6.2, 95% CI: 2.5-15.6); and larger tumors at diagnosis (OR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.2-2.4) had significantly greater adjusted odds of recurrence or death after initial treatment.

CONCLUSION

Based on pooled results, disease recurrence or death occurred in 10.7% of pediatric patients and within 9 months for most and within 32 months for all patients. This may suggest that low-grade and stage UCC of the bladder in pediatric patients can be systematically monitored for at least 3 years. However, prospective evaluation of this clinical strategy is warranted.

Bladder Urothelial Carcinoma in a Child: Case Report and Review of Literature

Bladder urothelial carcinoma (UC) it is the fifth most prevalent carcinoma in humans, nevertheless in children and young adults it's very rare. It usually occurs in older adults. Literature on UC in pediatric population is limited and important information (risk factors, follow-up protocols, etc.) are poorly defined. We present an 11-year-old boy with a painful macroscopic hematuria. Ultrasound revealed a heterogeneous intravesical mass without extravesical extension, which was confirmed by computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The first biopsy was compatible with urothelial papilloma. After 1 year, he returned with a bigger mass. Transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) was performed and immunohistochemistry showed low-grade papillary UC with a high-grade component, with tumor free margin. Tumor had mutations in the BRAF and KRAS genes. Two and a half years after the resection the patient has no recurrence. Less than 1% of bladder UC occur in the first two decades of life. Gross hematuria is a common symptom. Ultrasound is generally the first diagnostic tool. MRI is also helpful, but cystoscopy allows definitive diagnosis. Transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) is the standard treatment, with good results and low recurrence rate, and it was the treatment of choice for our patient, that remains free of disease. The BRAF and KRAS gene mutations were never described before in pediatric UC. There are only few cases in literature of pediatric UC that present a tumor genetic profile; therefore, our case report adds more information to this very rare disease in children.

Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder in Pediatric Patient: Four Case Series and Review of the Literature

Background:

Urothelial carcinoma of the bladder is a rare condition in children, and most cases in this age group are noninvasive and low-grade. However, no follow-up protocol has been defined for this patient group. The objective of this study was to draw attention to bladder tumors in children and focus on the current recommendations for postoperative follow-up along with a case study of four patients.

Case Report:

Four patients aged <18 years with urothelial carcinoma who were treated in our clinics between 2001 and 2015 were retrospectively evaluated. The results were compared with those of published pediatric case series in the literature. No abnormalities were found in the patients’ physical examinations and laboratory analyses, except hematuria (microscopic or macroscopic). Ultrasonography was used in all the patients to detect lesions in the bladder. Surgical resections were performed endoscopically, except in one patient. Histopathological evaluations revealed low-grade superficial urothelial carcinoma. No recurrence or complication was observed for all patients.

Conclusion:

Although rarely encountered during childhood, urothelial carcinoma should be considered as a differential diagnosis in pediatric patients with hematuria.

Urothelial papilloma: a rare cause of gross haematuria in childhood

Bladder urothelial papilloma is extremely rare in the paediatric population. It usually presents as painless gross haematuria and its diagnosis implies a high index of suspicion as other causes of haematuria predominate in this age range. We describe a 9-year-old boy with two episodes of gross haematuria occurring 1 year apart with spontaneous resolution after 2 days. Bladder ultrasound revealed an endovesical papillary lesion of 24×24 mm suggestive of bladder tumour. The diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological examination of the specimen obtained by cystoscopy with transurethral resection. After 3 years of follow-up with ultrasound and cystoscopy, there are no signs of recurrence. Due to the low prevalence of urothelial papilloma, paediatric guidelines for appropriate management and follow-up are unavailable, making this a challenging entity.

Invasive High-grade Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma in a 14-Year-Old Girl

We present an unusual pediatric case of invasive upper tract urothelial carcinoma with an associated genetic predisposition. A 14-year-old female presented with intermittent right flank pain, and was found to have a poorly functioning hydronephrotic right kidney. Laparoscopic nephrectomy was performed. Pathology demonstrated upper tract urothelial carcinoma, and she subsequently underwent completion ureterectomy. Genetic studies demonstrated a double-hit constitutional deletion of a DNA mismatch repair protein, revealing a rare Lynch syndrome variant known as Constitutional Mismatch Repair Deficiency Syndrome. This disease places her at high risk for multiple malignancies, including upper tract urothelial carcinoma.