Urothelial Carcinoma

Synonyms

Bladder cancer; Transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder

Definition

Urothelial carcinoma is a cancer arising from the urothelium, a specialized epithelium lining the urinary tract from the renal pelvis into the urethra, retaining discernible morphological aspects and molecular markers of urothelial cells.

Characteristics

Distribution, Histology, and Clinical Course

Urothelial carcinomas (UCs) arise from the urothelium, an epithelium lining the urinary tract from the renal pelvis into the urethra. Most tumors initiate in the urinary bladder, but some are localized in the urethra, the renal pelvis, and the ureters. Tumors arising in the upper urinary tract are somewhat different with respect to etiology and molecular genetics. Urothelial carcinoma is the most common histological subtype of bladder cancer in most countries, often retaining aspects of normal urothelial differentiation including markers like cytokeratins 7, 13, and 20 and uroplakins. Another histological...