Lymphoepithelioma-like bladder cancer: clinicopathologic study of six cases

Herein, we report on our experience with six patients (0.3%) diagnosed with lymphoepithelioma-like bladder carcinoma (LELBC) over the past 15 years at our department. The mean age of the patients with LELBC was 73 years (range 69-80 years). All patients had at least pT2 disease. The primary treatment was transurethral resection of the bladder tumor, radical cystectomy (RC), and radiotherapy (RT) in one, two, and three patients, respectively. After a mean follow-up of 31 months (range 13-72 months), three patients are still alive. The predominant subtype was diagnosed in four patients, three of whom are alive at the time of writing, compared with the two patients in whom the focal subtype was diagnosed, both of whom are dead. Two of the living patients were treated with a bladder-preservation strategy. Our experiences suggest that RC may not be necessary in muscle invasive disease and that RT and chemotherapy may be reliable treatment options. The pathology report may be useful in selecting patients suitable for bladder-preservation treatment.