Clinical and Medical Case Reports

Paraganglioma Non-Functional of Urinary Bladder: A Rare Differential Diagnosis of Urothelial Carcinoma not to be misdiagnosed - Case Report

Abstract

ELaouni Soukaina*, Jahid Ahmed, Bernoussi Zakia and Zouidia Fouad

Paraganglioma are rare type of neuroendocrine tumors that arise from embryonic neural crest. Paraganglioma of adrenal medulla is known as Pheochromocytoma. Extra-adrenal localization is observed in 5-10% of all paragangliomas, which can extend from upper cervical region to pelvis related to autonomic nervous system in a functional, secreting catecholamines, or non-functional phenotypes. Bladder paraganglioma is outside the usual distribution of paraganglionic tissue accounting for <0.05% of all bladder tumors. Nonfunctional paraganglioma of the bladder (NPB) and urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) are subtypes of bladder tumors, but which are entirely different entities with distinct tissue origins and anatomical locations. However due to the similarities in their clinical features and cystoscopic features NPB is often misdiagnosed as UCB whose therapeutic approach and prognosis are completely different. We present a case of paraganglioma in a 45-year-old male presenting with haematuria. Clinical provisional diagnosis rendered based on cystoscopic findings and radiology was urothelial carcinoma; however, was confirmed to be a case of paraganglioma of bladder on histopathological and immunohistochemical evaluation. Cystoscopic biopsy is of high diagnostic value, which should be considered in the preoperative diagnosis of NPB.