title: Ureteral small cell carcinoma.
abstract: Ureteral small cell carcinoma is very rare; only eight cases have been reported in the literature. In this article, we report the ninth case of ureteral small cell carcinoma. A 79-year-old Japanese man presented with asymptomatic macrohematuria, and left nephroureterectomy was performed. The nonpapillary and broad-based tumor, which measured 3.7 x 3.7 x 2.0 cm, was seen in the lower portion of the left ureter just above the ureteral orifice. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of urothelial carcinoma and small cell carcinoma. Immunohistochemically, neoplastic cells of small cell carcinoma were focally positive for chromogranin A. In the normal ureteral mucosa adjacent to the tumor, some endocrine cells positive for chromogranin A and synaptophysin were identified. In conclusion, we suggest that endocrine cells in the ureteral urothelial epithelium may be precursor cells of ureteral small cell carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Pathology, Kochi Red Cross Hospital, 2-13-51 Shin-honmachi, Kochi, 780-8562, Japan. kurochankochi@yahoo.co.jp
authors.forename: Naoto
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: Kazunobu
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Katto
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.forename: Tomoyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shiotsu
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.forename: Keiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: Gang-Hong
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D053379:Chromogranin A / Q000378:metabolism; D055098:Endocrine Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008840:Microfilament Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014516:Ureteral Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: C506150:CHGA protein, human; D053379:Chromogranin A; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; C503967:SYNPO protein, human