Plasmacytoid Urothelial Carcinoma of the Bladder: a literature review and a Case Report

Abstract Data on the clinicopathological features or prognosis of plasmacytoid urothelial carcinoma (PUC) are limited. Herein, we report a single case of PUC among 4,331 bladder cancer patients treated in a tertiary cancer teaching cancer hospital January 2013 between December 2021. A 59-year-old man was admitted to the hospital because of frequent and urgent urination and intermittent hematuria for more than 1 month and 10 days, respectively. Cystoscopy revealed obvious hematuria in the bladder and multiple cauliflower masses on the posterior and apical walls. The patient underwent radical cystectomy and ileal bladder replacement. Postoperatively, the patient was pathologically diagnosed with poorly differentiated carcinoma of the bladder (predominantly lymphomatoid and plasmacytoid variants) and died 4 months after diagnosis. In this case, the PUC exhibited aggressive growth with no early urinary tract symptoms, which appeared only when the tumor was large and ulcerated. Since most patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage, the prognosis is poor, therefore more aggressive treatment may be required. Clinicians can make a diagnosis based on typical image exams, histological features, clinical history, and immunohistochemical results. Gastric signet-ring cell carcinoma metastatic to the bladder should be excluded before diagnosis.