What are the other Names for this Condition? (Also known as/Synonyms)

• Flat Carcinoma In Situ of the Urinary Bladder
• High-Grade Intraurothelial Neoplasia (HG IUN)
• Urothelial CIS

What is Urothelial Carcinoma In Situ? (Definition/Background Information)

• Urothelial Carcinoma In Situ is a flat urothelial lesion that forms very commonly in the urinary bladder urothelium (urothelial cells that line the urothelial tract). It is described as a high-grade non-invasive malignant condition, where the abnormal cancer cells have not spread beyond the site of initial growth, hence termed carcinoma in situ (CIS). Diffuse Urothelial CIS may extend into the ureter and prostate too
• Sporadically occurring Urothelial Carcinoma In Situ accounts for between 1-3% of all Urothelial CIS lesions; these are called primary lesions. Urothelial CIS is more aggressive than other similar bladder cancers and has a high tendency to progress to a full-blown carcinoma
• The condition may be observed in middle-aged and older adults. The cause of development of Urothelial Carcinoma In Situ is presently unknown. In 50-60% of the individuals, Urothelial CIS occurs concurrently with other invasive (high-grade) bladder carcinomas. In such cases, these are known as secondary lesions. The involvement of TERT promoter and TP53 genes are frequently seen
• The signs and symptoms of sporadic Urothelial Carcinoma In Situ usually include blood in urine (hematuria), urination irregularities, such as frequent urge to urinate and urination urge after emptying the bladder, painful sex, and abdominal/back pain. Urothelial CIS may be asymptomatic in some cases and remain undetected
• The treatment of Urothelial Carcinoma In Situ may involve immunotherapy using Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG), hyperthermia therapy, or the use of mitomycin-C (an alkylating agent used in chemotherapy). Surgical options include local resection or total removal of the urinary bladder (cystectomy)
• The overall outcomes depend on several factors. When associated with non-invasive papillary urothelial carcinoma, the prognosis is unfavorable. Other factors that determine the prognosis is poor treatment response (especially BCG therapy), involvement of the urethra and prostate gland (in men), and multifocal disease