Carcinoma in a bladder diverticulum: the place of diverticulectomy

A carcinoma within a vesical diverticulum represents a therapeutic challenge because it has generally a poor prognosis, and unambiguous guidelines for its therapy are not at hand. The authors report their experience with two low-grade single and confined tumours which were treated by simple diverticulectomy. Both patients remained tumour-free after 2 and 4 years of follow-up, respectively. The literature has been reviewed to assess the state of the art approach for such tumours. Whereas simple diverticulectomy may be indicated in selected, confined cases, an aggressive approach combining surgery and radio- and/or chemotherapy is recommended in the majority of vesical diverticulum tumours.