Aggressive bladder carcinoma in a child

The brief report describes an unusual case of high grade bladder neoplasm with divergent differentiation in a 31 month-old child. The presentation included hematuria with tissue fragments and the tumor was confined to the bladder. The tumor behaved aggressively despite radical cystectomy, chemotherapy with agents known to be effective against epithelial and mesenchymal tumors and radiation therapy. Although rare, most malignant bladder neoplasms in children are low grade and present in early stages. Sarcomatoid differentiation in the setting of high-grade urothelial carcinoma portends a poor prognosis. (C) 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.