title: Endobronchial metastasis of a primary transitional-cell and signet-ring cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder.
abstract: Endobronchial metastasis is generally a late finding of primary tumor or may be determined before the diagnosis of primary tumor. We present a rare case of primary transitional and signet-ring cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder that occurred with malignant pleural effusion and endobronchial metastasis. A 71-year-old man complained of dyspnea and hematuria. He was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) with a prediagnosis of acute respiratory failure. He had decreased respiratory sounds and fine rales bilaterally at the lung bases. Respiratory failure worsened, and he was placed on mechanical ventilation. Radiograph and computed tomogram revealed bilateral effusion and metastatic nodules in the lung parenchyma. Subsequent abdominal computed tomogram revealed a mass in the urinary bladder, and transurethral biopsy indicated transitional epithelial carcinoma (modified Bergvist grade IIIB, and World Health Organization/International Society of Urological Pathology higher-grade urothelial papillary carcinoma) and signet-ring cell carcinoma, with lymphovascular invasion, consistent with the pathology findings. Our treatment plan was radical cysto-prostatectomy, followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, but because of his very poor medical status, the operation was not performed. On the 5th ICU day he died from severe respiratory failure, despite intensive supportive therapy. This case highlights the need to rule out malignancies in other organs in patients admitted with severe respiratory symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Guven Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. nedimcekmen@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Nedim
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cekmen
authors.forename: Sonay
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Açiksöz
authors.forename: Hacer
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Serdaroğlu
authors.forename: Ozcan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Erdemli
authors.forename: Tansel
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001984:Bronchial Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000556:secondary*; D018279:Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*