Diagnosis of Bladder Carcinoma: A Clinician’s Perspective

In 2014, more than 74,000 new cases and 15,000 deaths from bladder cancer were estimated to occur. The most reliable prognostic factors for survival are pathologic stage and histologic grade. Accordingly, a good understanding of the pathologic features of these cancers is essential to guide optimal clinical treatment, which requires a multidisciplinary team of pathologists, urologists, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists. This review highlights several clinical scenarios in which detailed pathologic evaluation and accurate reporting impact clinical management.