Treatment of bladder transitional cell carcinoma in children: a single center experience from China

Transitional cell carcinoma of urinary bladder (TCCB) is an extreme rare entity in childhood. We aim to report our experience in treating this tumor.  From 1980 to 2013, four patients (4 males, aged 11, 14, 15, and 17 years) were referred to our center with TCCB. The clinicopathological features, means of treatment, and prognostic outcomes were reviewed from the medical records. Of all the four patients, three presented with gross hematuria, whereas the other patient presented with dysuria. All patients were treated with transurethral resection alone, but one patient underwent postoperative multiple intravesical instillation of hydroxycamptothecin. Postoperative histological studies showed low-grade papillary urothelial carcinoma for all patients. No evidence of recurrence has been observed during the follow up. In childhood, TCCB which carries an excellent prognosis is low-grade and non-invasive. The general principle of therapy is transurethral resection. Bladder ultrasound is an efficient tool in the screening protocol, especially for low-grade TCCB patients.