
Figure 1. Bladder cancer. Illustration of sagittal section of the female pelvis showing cancer in the muscular wall of the bladder. Additional anatomy shown includes the uterus, vagina, and portions of the rectum and small intestine.
Low-grade proliferative tumors are the most common phenotype of urothelial carcinoma. They are relatively slow-growing papillary tumors that project into the bladder lumen.
Highly proliferative tumors are papillary tumors that may penetrate the basement membrane, invade the lamina propria, and continue into the bladder muscle, where they can subsequently metastasize.
Carcinoma in situ is a flat, noninvasive, high-grade, potentially aggressive urothelial carcinoma that spreads along the surface of the bladder. Over time, it may progress to an invasive form of cancer with a tendency to metastasize.
Learn more about the clinical course of urothelial carcinoma.
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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Kyle A. Richards. Fast Five Quiz: Urothelial Carcinoma - Medscape - Aug 13, 2020.
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