[Squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder--report of two cases]

Two cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder are presented. Initial pathologic diagnosis was based on biopsy findings; it was confirmed by findings on resected specimens. Since aggressive surgical therapy has been reported to be successful, we attempted radical surgery in both of our patients. A 76-year-old woman underwent total cystectomy with resection of segments of rectal and vaginal walls with ureterocutaneostomy and colostomy. The other patient, a 66-year-old woman was inoperable due to wide tumor invasion. She died two months later of cerebrovascular accident apparently unrelated to original disease. The ultrastructural findings, which typically show numerous tonofilaments, ribosomes and desmosomes, are presented and discussed.