SMALL CELL CARCINOMA OF THE URINARY BLADDER: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE AND PRESENTATION OF A CASE REPORT

Background: Small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder (SCCUB) is a neuroendocrine tumor. It occurs frequently in the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts while in the urogenital tract is very uncommon. Generally the risk factors for this neoplasm are smoking and chronic disease of the bladder. We report the case of a patient with SCCUB that was treated only with neoadjuvant chemotheraphy. Case Report: A 60- year-old male patient, smoker, suffering from macroscopic hematuria and lumbar pain was submitted for abdomino-pelvic ultrasound which showed a bladder wall sessile formation. The tumor was treatd with TURB (trans uretral resectionof bladder).During histological examination a small cell cancer of the bladder trigone, lymph node swelling). The patient underwent neoadjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin plus vinblastine. The disease progressed and at a second total-body CT scan new liver and lungs lesions were observed:lymph node involvement and bone metastases were reported. Topotecan, chosen as second-line therapy, was unsuccessful. The patients was Treated with palliative therapy. Results: SCCUB is a rare and aggressive tumor that especially effects males in 60-70 years of age. The incidence among bladder tumours is 0,5-1.0%. The immunohistochemical tests with chromogranin- A and synaptophysin appear to be higly specific for this type of cancer. Five-year concer-specific survival is estimated at approximately 8%.