Orbital Metastasis of Urinary Bladder Carcinoma: A Clinicopathologic Report and Review of the Literature

Abstract

A 53-year-old male presented with a progressive mass of the left orbit. His medical history included an invasive carcinoma of the bladder diagnosed three weeks earlier. An orbital biopsy was performed and the diagnosis was that of an orbital metastasis of urinary bladder carcinoma. The patient developed widespread metastatic disease and unfortunately died one month after the diagnosis of orbital metastasis. Orbital metastasis of urinary bladder carcinoma is associated with a poor prognosis and is more frequently observed in older people. In addition, it is five times more prevalent in men than in women.

A report of orbital metastasis from a urinary bladder adenocarcinoma

“…The median survival of patients with orbital metastasis is 6-9 months. [127] Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is a common urinary bladder malignancy of which, 10%-15% are invasive. [4567] Of the invasive TCC, around 50% cause distant metastasis to the common sites such as lymph nodes, lungs, bones and rarely to orbit, via the Batson valveless venous plexus.…”

“…[127] Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is a common urinary bladder malignancy of which, 10%-15% are invasive. [4567] Of the invasive TCC, around 50% cause distant metastasis to the common sites such as lymph nodes, lungs, bones and rarely to orbit, via the Batson valveless venous plexus. [79] Urinary bladder adenocarcinoma is the third most common histological variant accounting for 0.5%-2.0% of all urinary bladder carcinomas.…”

“…[456] Additionally, the delayed diagnosis imposes a greater management challenge which is frequently associated with a poorer prognosis. [17] Moreover, the trivial systemic symptoms of the patients often get missed, adding to this perplexing scenario. [4567] This necessitates a detailed clinical history, thorough local and systemic examination with radiological support, specifically in elderly, presenting with acute onset of orbital features.…”

Metastasis to the Orbit from Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder

“…4 A review of the English-and Japanese-language literature (Table 1), in addition to the current report, indicates that there have been 12 other reported cases of metastases to the orbit from TCC of the bladder. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15] Of these 13 cases, 11 were in men and 2 were in women, and the average patient age was 63.5 years. The time period from onset of primary TCC to observation of ocular symptoms was 3 weeks to 11 years.…”

Orbital Metastasis from Urothelial Carcinoma of the Urinary Bladder

“…Urinary tract carcinoma is an extremely rare source of ocular metastases. Souza Filho et al [7] reported the latest case of ocular metastases from carcinoma urinary bladder in 2005; seven cases of orbital metastasis from TCC of the bladder have previously been reported (Table). These included six men and two women, with a mean age of 64 years (range, 43-79 years).…”