Tumours of the Urinary System 2 Flashcards
What are urothelial cancers?
These are malignant tumours of the lining transitional cell epithelium (urothelium) and can occur at any point:
- From renal calyces to tip of uretra
What is the most common site of urothelial cancers?
Most common site is the bladder:
- 90% of cases
- Known as “bladder cancer”
What is the tumour responsible for bladder cancer most often?
Tumour type is most often transitional cell carcinoma (about 90% in UK)
Where schistosomiasis is endemic, squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder is the most common type
What are risk factors for bladder cancer?
- TCC (transitional cell carcinoma)
- Smoking (accounts for 40% of cases)
- Aromatic amines
- Non-hereditary genetic abnormalities
- Such as TSG including p53 and Rb
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Schistosomiasis (S. Haematobium only)
- Chronic cystitis (such as recurrent UTI, long term catheter, bladder stone)
- Cyclophosphamide therapy
- Pelvic radiotherapy
- Adenocarcinoma
- Urachal
What does TCC stand for?
Transitional cell carcinoma
What are risk factors for TCC bladder cancer?
- Smoking (accounts for 40% of cases)
- Aromatic amines
- Non-hereditary genetic abnormalities
- Such as TSG including p53 and Rb
What are risk factors for squamous cell carcinoma bladder cancer?
- Schistosomiasis (S. Haematobium only)
- Chronic cystitis (such as recurrent UTI, long term catheter, bladder stone)
- Cyclophosphamide therapy
- Pelvic radiotherapy
What are the presenting features of bladder cancer?
- Painless visible haematuria (most frequent symptoms)
- Occasionally symptoms due to invasive or metastatic disease
- Haematuria may be
- Frank (reported by patient)
- Microscopic (detected by doctor)
- Recurrent UTI
- Storage bladder symptoms
- Dysuria, frequency, nocturia, urgency with or without urge incontinence
- Bladder pain
- If present, suspect CIS
What investigations shoud be done for haematuria?
Is the risk of malignancy higher with frank haematuria or microscopic haematuria?
Frank haematuria
What investigations should be done for frank haematuria?
- Flexible cystourethroscopy within 2 weeks
- CT urogram and USS
- Urine cytology may also be useful (but not very sensitive nor specific)
What investigations should be done for microscopic haematuria?
- Flexible cystourethroscopy within 4-6 weeks
USS
What does IVP stand for?
Intravenous pyelogram
What is a intravenous pyelogram (IVU)?
X-ray exam that uses an injection of contrast material to evaluate your kidneys, ureters and bladder and help diagnose blood in the urine or pain in your side or lower back
Why should IVU and USS not be done alone?
What is diagnosis of bladder cancer done by?
- Cystoscopy and endoscopic resection (TURBT)
- Examination under anaesthetic (EUA) to assess bladder mass/thickening before and after TURBT
What is TNM staging of bladder cancer done by?
- Cross sectional imaging (CT, MRI)
- Bone scan if symptomatic
- CTU for upper tract TCC
What are the broad categories of treatment options for bladder cancer?
- Endoscopic or radical
How are bladder tumours classified?
- Grade of tumour
- Stage of tumour
- TNM classification
- T stage
- Non-muscle invasive (or superficial)
- Muscle invasive
- Combined to describe TCC (such as G1pTa)
What are the different grades of TCC?
- G1
- Well differentiated
- Commonly non-invasive
- G2
- Moderately differentiated
- Often non-invasive
- G3
- Poorly differentiated
- Often invasive
- Carcinoma in situ (CIS)
- Non-muscle invasive but very aggressive so treated differently
What is G1 grade?
- Well differentiated
- Commonly non-invasive
What is a G2 grade?
- Moderately differentiated
- Often non-invasive
What is a G3 grade?
- Poorly differentiated
- Often invasive
What is a carcinoma in situ (CIS) grade?
- Non-muscle invasive but very aggressive so treated differently
What does CIS stand for?
Carinoma in situ
What are the different T stages of bladder cancer?
What does treatment of bladder cancer depend on?
- Site
- Clinical stage
- Histological grade of tumour
- Patient age and co-morbidities