Noninvasive Squamous Lesions in the Urinary Bladder

Noninvasive squamous lesions are distinctively uncommon in biopsies of the urinary bladder with the exception of nonkeratinizing squamous metaplasia. The clinical significance of these squamous lesions in the bladder remains to be explored. A total of 29 cases of transurethral biopsies and resections of the bladder containing noninvasive squamous lesions (excluding nonkeratinizing metaplasia) were studied from the consult files of one of the authors. These cases included keratinizing squamous metaplasia (5), verrucous squamous hyperplasia (5), squamous papilloma (5), condyloma acuminatum (3), and squamous cell carcinoma in situ (CIS) (11). Immunohistochemistry for epithelial growth factor receptor (EGFR) and in situ hybridization for wide-range human papillomavirus was performed on 23 cases. The follow-up period ranged from 2 months to 3 years with an average of 1.5 years. After the initial diagnoses in biopsies of the bladder, 10 patients received cystectomies, and 7 patients received repeat tissue sampling of the bladder. Of the 5 patients with keratinizing squamous metaplasia, 2 patients had invasive urothelial carcinoma with squamous features in their cystectomy specimens at intervals of 3 and 14 months, respectively, 1 had persistent keratinizing squamous metaplasia on rebiopsy. Of the 5 patients with verrucous squamous hyperplasia, 1 patient had invasive squamous cell carcinoma at cystectomy at an interval of 14 months, 1 had squamous cell CIS on rebiopsy, 1 had persistent verrucous squamous hyperplasia on rebiopsy, and 2 had no evidence of disease at 6 and 24 months. Of the 5 patients with squamous papilloma, 1 patient had low-grade urothelial carcinoma at cystectomy at an interval of 21 months (h/o low-grade urothelial carcinoma preceding papilloma diagnosis), 2 were free of lesions at rebiopsy. Of the 3 patients with condyloma acuminatum, 1 had squamous CIS at cystectomy at an interval of 3 months, 1 had invasive squamous cell carcinoma at 20 months. Of the 11 patients with squamous cell carcinoma in situ (CIS), 3 patients had invasive squamous cell carcinoma at intervals of 2, 3, and 4 months, respectively, 1 had invasive urothelial carcinoma with squamous features in cystectomies at an interval of 12 months, 1 had squamous cell CIS at 10 months, 1 had high-grade urothelial carcinoma (not otherwise specified) at rebiopsy at an interval of 6 months, and 1 had no evidence of disease at 8 months. Among the 9 patients with invasive carcinoma, 4 patients died in the period of 0.5 to 3 years after the diagnoses. Immunohistochemical study with EGFR demonstrated strong signals in 20 cases and no signals in 2 cases. Wide-range human papillomavirus DNA signal was detected in 1 case of condyloma acuminatum and 1 case of squamous cell CIS. Keratinizing squamous metaplasia, verrucous squamous hyperplasia, and condyloma acuminatum in the urinary bladder can be associated with subsequent or concurrent in situ, or invasive squamous carcinoma and should be closely followed. Squamous cell CIS in the urinary bladder is often associated with subsequent or concurrent invasive carcinoma with squamous differentiation. Enhanced expression of EGFR in these bladder squamous lesions suggests that EGFR may represent a logic therapeutic target in those squamous lesions that are difficult to manage clinically.