Small Cell Carcinoma of Urinary Bladder: Analysis from a Tertiary Cancer Care Center of India

Abstract

Context: Small cell cancer of the urinary bladder. Aims: Small cell carcinoma of the bladder is a rare histological subtype, which is particularly aggressive and global literature available describing this entity is sparse. This review of our database was to evaluate clinicopathological and survival outcomes of these patients. Subjects and Methods: The present study was a retrospective analysis of patients with small cell bladder cancer for past 6 years at Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute and Research Center, New Delhi. Results: : Most of the patients in our study presented with limited stage disease. The overall survival and disease-free survival (DFS) was 49% and 51.07% at 2 years, respectively. Preoperative chemotherapy with surgical resection has shown significant survival and DFS benefit. Stage at presentation also affected the survival and DFS though it did not reach statistical significance. Conclusions: Small cell bladder cancer is a rare disease with dismal prognosis. Multimodality treatment with neoadjuvant chemotherapy should be the preferred treatment for limited stage disease.

Primary small cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder

“…SCCB can be of pure or mixed histology, as seen in 40%–50% of cases 5. This has been variably reported as a prognostic factor, however, the largest study from India did not find so 9. The fact that the most common mixed component is conventionally urothelial carcinoma has led to the proposal of a common origin of both tumours, where SCCB represents the dedifferentiated form of urothelial carcinoma 1.…”