Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer with Variant Histology: Biological Features and Clinical Implications

Autor: Vito Mancini, Luigi Cormio, Magda Zanelli, Giuseppe Carrieri, Francesca Sanguedolce, Beppe Calò, Stefano Ascani, Andrea Palicelli, Maurizio Zizzo
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Oncology. 99:345-358
ISSN: 1423-0232
0030-2414
DOI: 10.1159/000514759
Popis: Background: The most common bladder cancer (BC) histotype is pure urothelial carcinoma (UC), which may undergo divergent differentiation in some cases. Variant histology (VH) presents along variable morphologies, either single or combined between them or with pure UC. From a clinical standpoint, the vast majority of BC is diagnosed at non-invasive or minimally invasive stages, namely as non-muscle invasive BC (NMIBC). There is a wide range of therapeutic options for patients with NMIBC, according to their clinical and pathological features. However, current risk stratification models do not show optimal effectiveness. Evidence from the literature suggests that VH has peculiar biological features, and may be associated with poorer survival outcomes compared to pure UC. Summary: In order to describe the biological features and prognostic/predictive role of VH in NMIBC, and to discuss current treatment options, we performed a systematic literature search through multiple databases (PubMed/Medline, Google Scholar) for relevant articles according to the following terms, single and/or in combination: “non-muscle invasive bladder cancer,” “variant histology,” “micropapillary variant,” “glandular differentiation,” “squamous differentiation,” “nested variant,” “plasmacytoid variant,” and “sarcomatoid variant.” We extracted 99 studies including original articles, reviews, and systematic reviews, and subsequently analyzed data from 16 studies reporting on the outcome of NMIBC with VH. We found that the relative rarity of these forms as well as the heterogeneity in study populations and therapeutic protocols results in conflicting findings overall. Key Messages: The presence of VH should be taken into account when counseling a patient with NMIBC, since it may upgrade the disease to high-risk tumor and thus warrant a more aggressive treatment.
Databáze: OpenAIRE