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AIM: Micropapillary carcinoma represents an uncommon variant of urothelial carcinoma associated with higher grade and advanced stage at time of diagnosis, as well as with poorer prognosis. Even though the morphology may be deceptive, this tumor type is considered to be a tumor with an aggressive behavior. Aim of this study was to review patients with micropapillary variant of urothelial carcinoma in our database and compare them with patients with “ classical” urinary bladder carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used the histopathological database (Thanatos) from the Ljudevit Jurak Department of Pathology for all urologic patients with diagnosed urinary bladder cancer, during the time period from January 1st, 2004 to March 31st, 2006. RESULTS: In the examined period there were 390 patients with urinary bladder cancer (M:F=298:92). Male patients were ageing from 26 to 91 years (mean 68.1) while females were ageing between 35 and 90 (mean 69.0). From the total number of patients with urinary bladder cancer there were only 10 (2.6%) cases with the micropapillary variant (M:F=8:2). In the group of patients with micropapillary carcinoma, at the time of diagnosis, males were ageing between 57-88 years (mean 70.9), while females were in age 76 and 81 years (mean 78.5). All micropapillary carcinomas were invasive at the time of diagnosis, and in 60% of all cases infiltration of muscular layer of urinary bladder was present. In 3 (30%) cases, after the diagnosis of micropapillary carcinoma, radical cystectomy was performed followed by lymphadenectomy, while only 7.9 % (30) cases with “ classic” urothelial carcinoma were treated with radical operation. Lymph nodes metastases were confirmed histologically in all 3 cases with micropapillary cancer and in 38.1% (8/21) cases with classical urothelial cancer. CONCLUSION: In our series micropapillary carcinoma was an aggressive tumor, often in advanced stage of disease, with a high incidence of lymph node metastases. Therefore, correct diagnosis is important to perform adequate, usually radical treatment. |
