Small cell carcinoma of the bladder in transplant recipients: a report of 2 cases

Abstract

Small cell carcinoma (SCC) of the urinary bladder is a rare disease accounting for 0.5% to 0.7% of all primary bladder cancers. Transplant recipients are a special subset of patients with increased risk for various urologic malignancies, including transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. However, to the best of our knowledge, a SCC of the urinary bladder has not been reported in transplant recipients. We report what we believe are the first 2 reported cases of transplant recipients with SCC of the bladder. Small cell carcinoma was diagnosed 5 years after transplantation in both patients and they died due to metastatic SCC. Our report emphasizes the highly aggressive nature of SCC and also the rapid progression seen in transplant recipients.

Donor-Derived Urothelial Carcinoma in Renal Transplant Recipients

“…Small-cell carcinoma within the urinary tract is a very rare type of UC [ 9 ]. Only two prior cases of UC with small-cell differentiation occurring in the bladder of renal transplantation recipients have been reported, and the origin of these tumors were unknown and presumably from the recipient [ 10 ]. Our case is the first reported case of donor-derived upper tract small-cell UC.…”

Urologic malignancies in kidney transplantation

“…Risk factors for the development of bladder cancer from a multivariate analysis in the post–renal transplantation population included polyomavirus infection (ie, BK virus [BKV]) (RR 11.6) and smoking (RR 6.1) . UC is by far the most common type of bladder cancer, although both squamous cell and small cell cancers have been reported in posttransplantation patients . The impact of immunosuppression on the development of UC has yet to be fully detailed in the literature.…”