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Table 2 Summary of the clinical and CT features of malignant bladder lesions

From: Multidetector computed tomography evaluation of bladder lesions

Bladder lesion

Clinical features

CT features

Bladder Cancer

Three main cell types: urothelial carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma

Urothelial carcinoma: most common, 95%, multicentric (up to 40%)

Intraluminal papillary or nodular mass, asymmetric or focal wall thickening, small filling defects or less frequently diffuse wall thickening

Squamous cell carcinoma: sessile rather than papillary

Adenocarcinoma: diffuse bladder wall thickening and perivesical fat stranding

Leiomyosarcoma

< 1% of all bladder malignancies

Risk factors: systemic chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide and radiation therapy

Poorly circumscribed margin and invasion of the adjacent structure

Rhabdomyosarcoma

Most common bladder tumor in children (< 10 years) Male: female ratio 1:3

Large, nodular filling defects or masses in a polypoid or grape-like shape

Lymphoma

Primary lymphoma is extremely rare

Secondary involvement in 10%–25%

MALT or DLBCL

> 60 years

Nonspecific: solitary bladder masses (70%), multiple masses (20%) and diffuse bladder wall thickening (10%)

  1. CT—computed tomography; MALT—mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue; DLBCL—diffuse large B-cell lymphoma