[Upper urinary tract and urethral tumors in patients with bladder carcinoma]

A clinicopathological study was conducted in patients with urothelial tumor of the bladder and urothelial neoplasm of the upper urinary tract or urethra to analyze the histological features, time interval between diagnoses and prognosis of these associated lesions.

338 patients were reviewed retrospectively. A descriptive study was performed, including tables on the associated lesions and survival data.

21 cases (6.2%) had two urothelial tumors: carcinoma of the bladder associated with tumor of the upper urinary tract (14 cases) or urethra (7 cases). There is a longer time interval between diagnoses when the extravesical tumor is diagnosed after than when it is diagnosed before the bladder tumor (p < .05). A correlation between the grade, but not stage, of the extravescial and bladder tumors has been observed. We found no statistically significant differences for survival in patients with two tumors or with bladder cancer alone. Although not statistically significant, patients with metachronous extravescial tumor have a better prognosis than those with synchronous extravesical tumor.

Patients with bladder cancer should be followed for years and screened for extravesical urothelial tumor. The foregoing associated lesion, especially the metachronous extravesical lesion, apparently does not make the prognosis worse.