Bilharzial and nonbilharzial bladder cancer in Asir: A comparative clinicopathological study

A total of 48 bladder cancer patients out of 96 consecutive genitourinary cancer cases were divided into bilharzial and nonbilharzial groups on a histological basis in order to investigate the impact of bilharziasis on tumor behavior. Despite being a bilharzial endemic area, only 10/48 (21%) of our patients had bilharzial cancer (BC) of whom 8 (80%) had squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and 2 (20%) had adenocarcinoma. Out of 38 patients with nonbilharzial cancer (NBC), 35 (92%) had transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), and 3 (8%) had SCC. BC in males presented at a younger age than NBC (P<0.05). All ten patients with BC presented with deeply invasive (T3 and T4) tumors as compared to 22/38 (58%) with NBC (P<0.05). Comparison of clinical and laboratory features in both groups in both groups did not reveal any significant difference. We conclude that in the Asir region, TCC is the most common bladder cancer. However, with bilharziasis, bladder cancer tends to be of the squamous type and presents at an earlier age and at an advanced stage.