PRIMARY SIGNET-RING CELL ADENOCARCINOMA OF THE URINARY BLADDER

The signet-ring cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder is a rare variant of primary bladder adenocarcinoma with only 70 cases found in the literature. This tumor grows insidous because of its diffuse subepithelial infiltrative nature without forming intraluminal growths, which makes diagnosis possible only late in the course of the disease. Thus it can not be controlled by segmental resection, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or combinations of these modilities. 4 cases of primary signet-ring cell adenocarcinoma of the urinary bladder two of them associated with transitional cell carcinoma are presented and the literature is reviewed.