Premium
Management and follow‐up of urothelial neoplasms of the bladder in children: A report from the TREP project
Author(s) -
Di Carlo Daniela,
Ferrari Andrea,
Perruccio Katia,
D'Angelo Paolo,
Fagnani Anna Maria,
Cecchetto Giovanni,
Bisogno Gianni
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
pediatric blood and cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.116
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1545-5017
pISSN - 1545-5009
DOI - 10.1002/pbc.25380
Subject(s) - medicine , cystoscopy , bladder cancer , chemotherapy , epirubicin , radiological weapon , surgery , radiology , cancer , urinary system , urology , cyclophosphamide
Background Urothelial neoplasms of the bladder (UNB) are rare in patients under 20 years of age, and even rarer in the first decade of life. The present series was investigated to provide recommendations on patient management in terms of therapeutic strategy and follow‐up. Procedure This is a retrospective analysis on 12 patients with UNB under 18 years of age. Data were extracted from the national database of the TREP (Tumori Rari in Età Pediatrica) Project. Results Ten of the 12 patients presented with a single episode of hematuria, while the discovery of the lesion was incidental in two. Eleven of the 12 lesions were G1 and one was G2/G3; none of the lesions invaded the lamina propria. All lesions were removed completely by transurethral resection. No further treatment was administered in nine children but three received a single dose of intravesical chemotherapy (epirubicin in 2, mitomycin in 1). Only one patient experienced a recurrence and all patients are alive in complete remission with a median follow‐up of 30 months (range 4–112). Follow‐up investigations varied at the different centers and included abdominal ultrasound in nine patients, cystoscopy in seven, and additional radiological investigations in a few cases. Conclusions UNB in children seems to be a low‐grade, scarcely aggressive disease with an excellent prognosis. The role of intravesical chemotherapy is debatable. Follow‐up can be based on ultrasound. The adoption of shared recommendations should enable unnecessary treatment and invasive investigations to be avoided. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:1000–1003. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.