What Is the Significance of Variant Histology in Urothelial Carcinoma?

Context: Urothelial carcinoma can exhibit a wide range of variant morphologies. Many variants present diagnostic challenges and carry clinical implications that inform prognosis and treatment decisions.

Objective: To provide an overview of the diagnostic, therapeutic, and prognostic significance of histological variants of urothelial carcinoma.

Gene Expression Profile of the Clinically Aggressive Micropapillary Variant of Bladder Cancer.

Background: Progression of conventional urothelial carcinoma of the bladder to a tumor with unique microscopic features referred to as micropapillary carcinoma is coupled with aggressive clinical behavior signified by a high propensity for metastasis to regional lymph nodes and distant organs resulting in shorter survival.

Objective: To analyze the expression profile of micropapillary cancer and define its molecular features relevant to clinical behavior.

Design, Setting, And Participants: We retrospectively identified 43 patients with micropapillary bladder cancers and a reference set of 89 patients with conventional urothelial carcinomas and performed whole-genome expression messenger RNA profiling.