Papillary urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder demonstrating prominent signet-ring cells in a smear. A case report.
BACKGROUND
The appearance of numerous signetring cells (SRCs) without any other type of adenocarcinoma cells originating in papillary transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) in a urine smear is rare.


METHODS
The cytology from mucus-urine that was initially obtained by washing from a 69-year-old female revealed three different types of cells: (1) numerous single SRC carcinoma-type cells, (2) low grade TCC-type cells arranged in sheets, and (3) intermediate (transitional)-type cells with both aspects of TCC and adenocarcinoma (SRC carcinoma) and mucus in the background. The latter two cell populations were retrospectively confirmed after histologic diagnosis of a primary papillary TCC with glandular differentiation.


CONCLUSIONS
One should keep in mind that even a low grade papillary TCC with glandular differentiation of the bladder can exhibit excessive SRC-type cells in urine.
Shinagawa
T
T
Department of Pathology, St. Marianna University School of Medicine, Yokohama City Seibu Hospital, Japan.
Tadokoro
M
M
Abe
M
M
Koshitaka
Y
Y
Kouno
S
S
Hoshino
T
T
D000368:Aged; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000652:urine*; D018279:Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000652:urine*; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000652:urine*; D003558:Cystoscopy; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery / Q000652:urine*; D019459:Urothelium