Adenocarcinoma constitutes around 0.5 to 2% of all neoplastic lesions of the urinary bladder, out of which, the mucinous variant is seen on rare occasions. Intestinal metaplasia resulting from nephrolithiasis, chronic inflammation and hydronephrosis could be the precursor lesion. Bladder exstrophy and remnants of the urachus are considered as other possible risk factors. The tumour prefers patients who are over 50 years. Hematuria, difficult voiding and suprapubic pain are the most common presenting symptoms. The tumour has a very bad prognosis and is poorly responsive to chemo and radiotherapy and hence surgery is the treatment of choice. Hence early diagnosis is of paramount importance. While managing adenocarcinoma of the bladder, it is important to rule out any possibility of a metastatic lesion that could have come from other organs where mucinous adenocarcinoma is more common.
The traditional surgical approach to the excision of persistent urachal remnants is a lower midline laparotomy or semicircular infraumbilical incision. The aim of this study is to report our experience with laparoscopic urachus excision as a minimally invasive diagnostic and surgical technique.
Primary urinary Bladder Adenocarcinoma (PBA) is an uncommon neoplasm and can cause diagnostic difficulties due to histologic similarities with adenocarcinomas of adjacent structures like Gastrointestinal Tract (GIT) and prostate, since involvement of the bladder by metastasis or direct spread can occur. Seven cases of bladder adenocarcinomas were diagnosed during a period of four years in a tertiary care hospital. Patient's age ranged from 26-78 years with a male predilection. Three cases were signet ring type adenocarcinomas, two cases were subtyped as enteric variant, one as mucinous variant and one as adenocarcinoma Not Otherwise Specified (NOS) variant. One case showed urachal involvement. Common site of involvement was the base and posterior wall of the bladder. Three cases had prior history of GIT malignancy. No morphologic difference was identified to differentiate primary from secondary adenocarcinomas. Bladder adenocarcinoma is rare tumours. Primary and secondary adenocarcinomas cannot be distinguished from each other on morphologic grounds. Ancillary studies may have limited role in distinguishing between the two. Hence, clinical correlation has a major role in their evaluation.
A neonate with umbilical evagination of the bladder (UEB) and omphalocele minor (OM) is reported. The findings in this case support the origin of the urachus from the upper end of the cloaca rather than the allantois. The frequent occurrence of OM with urachal anomalies, including UEB, suggests an embryological association between the two conditions.