BACKGROUND:
To investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of
urinary bladder tumors, a rare
malignancy, in
patients 20 years or younger.
METHODS:
Using a retrospective chart
review among
patients who received
bladder surgery at 2 institutions between July 1996 and January 2013, we analyzed the clinicopathological characteristics of
urinary bladder tumors in 21 pediatric
patients (
malefemale = 4.251.00; mean age, 12.1 years).
RESULTS:
Pathology revealed 9 urothelial
tumors, 6
rhabdomyosarcomas, 1 low-grade
leiomyosarcoma, 1 large
cell neuroendocrine carcinoma, 1 inflammatory myofibroblastic
tumor, and 3 cases of chronic
inflammation without
tumors (including 1 xanthogranulomatous
inflammation). Urothelial
tumors (mean
patient age, 16.0 years) were benign or low-grade; and only transurethral resection of the
bladder tumor was necessary for
treatment.
Patients with
rhabdomyosarcomas (mean age, 5 years) underwent
radiotherapy (if unresectable) or transurethral resection of the
bladder tumor (if resectable), after
chemotherapy. Of these
patients, 2 underwent
radical cystectomy, with the remaining
patients not receiving a
cystectomy. With the exception of one
patient, all
patients are currently alive and
recurrence-free.
CONCLUSION:
Urothelial
tumors were the most commonly found pediatric
bladder tumor, with
embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma being the second most common. Urothelial
tumors are common in relatively older age. Since urothelial
tumors in
children typically have a good
prognosis and rarely recur, transurethral resection of the
bladder tumor is the
treatment of choice.
Rhabdomyosarcomas are common in younger
patients. Since
rhabdomyosarcoma is generally chemosensitive,
chemotherapy and
radiotherapy are the
treatment of choice for
bladder preservation in these
patients.