Primary Mucinous Adenocarcinoma of the Urinary Bladder: A Rare Entity

Adenocarcinoma constitutes around 0.5 to 2% of all neoplastic lesions of the urinary bladder, out of which, the mucinous variant is seen on rare occasions. Intestinal metaplasia resulting from nephrolithiasis, chronic inflammation and hydronephrosis could be the precursor lesion. Bladder exstrophy and remnants of the urachus are considered as other possible risk factors. The tumour prefers patients who are over 50 years. Hematuria, difficult voiding and suprapubic pain are the most common presenting symptoms. The tumour has a very bad prognosis and is poorly responsive to chemo and radiotherapy and hence surgery is the treatment of choice. Hence early diagnosis is of paramount importance. While managing adenocarcinoma of the bladder, it is important to rule out any possibility of a metastatic lesion that could have come from other organs where mucinous adenocarcinoma is more common.