Cystitis cystica and cystitis glandularis: its relationship to the development of urothelial bladder cancer

Background. Cystic-glandular cysititis is defined as cystic formation of the urothelial nests which may be associated with inflammatory conditions as well as neoplastic processes.

Objective – to establish a relationship between cystic-glandular cysititis and bladder cancer.

Materials and methods. We conducted a retrospective study using data of 52 patients who’d been diagnosed with cystic-glandular cysititis of common or intestinal type in the period between 2006 and 2014. The patients’ information regarding age, gender, type of histological material (biopsy or transurethral resection of bladder), urological anamnesis has been analyzed. Follow-up duration included cystoscopy performance with bladder biopsy and varied from 1 to 8 years.

Results. Patients suffering from diagnosed cystic-glandular cystitis were between the ages of 27 and 89 years old, with a higher prevalence rate, 2:1, in men to women. Intestinal metaplasia was revealed in 7 (14 %) out of 52 patients. Thorough study of the urological anamnesis revealed 50 (96 %) cases of chronic bladder inflammation. Concurrent cancer was diagnosed in 6 (12 %) cases: 4 patients with urothelial carcinoma and 2 – with intestinal type adenocarcinoma. Follow-up of the remained 46 patients revealed the development of urothelial carcinoma in 1 patient which happened 6 months after his primary biopsy. By the way, this patient has already had upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma in his anamnesis.

Conclusions. Study results show that there is a relatively frequent coexistence of cystic-glandular cystitis and bladder cancer. However, longterm follow-up of patients with cystic-glandular cystitis don’t allow us to consider this pathology as a preneoplastic.