Clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of Chinese patients with sarcomatoid carcinoma of the bladder

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to retrospectively analyze the clinicopathological features and prognosis of Chinese patients diagnosed with sarcomatoid carcinoma (SC) of the bladder. Methods: 13 patients admitted to the General Hospital of People's Liberation Army (PLA) between 1999 and 2010 (study group) and 74 Chinese patients diagnosed between 1994 and 2010 and reported in one of two Chinese databases (literature group). Results: The two groups were similar in all demographic and clinical characteristics except depth of tumor invasion. SC of the bladder was most common in older males and most patients had high-grade or late-stage disease at diagnosis. The 6-month, 1-year, 2-year, and 5-years survival rates were 78.9%, 42.7%, 28.0%, and 21.0%, respectively. Analysis of the association of demographic and clinical characteristics with prognosis indicated no significant effect of sex, age, lesion location, tumor diameter, tumor type, depth of invasion, type of surgery, gross hematuria, and urinary tract infection. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the pathologic tumor stage was unrelated to prognosis. Early diagnosis and surgical intervention are preferred strategies for improvement of prognosis. The association between clinical stage and survival time requires further analysis.