The Diverse Morphological Faces of Carcinoma of Urinary Bladder

Urothelial carcinoma is a heterogeneous tumor with great propensity for divergent differentiation resulting in an urothelial carcinoma admixed with other morphologically recognizable components. [1] The most common mixed differentiation is squamous followed by glandular. [1-5] The whole spectrum of bladder carcinoma variants may be seen in variable proportion from an otherwise typical urothelial carcinoma, but most importantly, these variants may be relevant in clinical practice since they may simulate benign lesions, secondary tumors or necessitate a more complex therapeutic approach beyond surgery.[1, 6] Recent studies suggest an increasing likelihood of lymph node metastases associated with the finding of pathologic variants in the primary tumor.[7] Main pathologic variants of urothelial bladder carcinoma according to their suggested clinical and pathologic significance, follows: Pathologic variants of invasive bladder cancer and their potential pitfalls Main lesions and tumors in differential diagnosis