Bladder Perforation during Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor Is Not an Innocent Accident: Literature Review Based on a Clinical Case Experience

Abstract

Urothelial Carcinoma (UC) is one of the most frequent cancers worldwide. Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURBT) is a standard treatment in the disease’s early stages, with bladder perforation being a possible and classical complication. However, extravesical tumor seeding resulting from perforation is a rare phenomenon. We hereby report the case of a 76-year-old man with a history of smoking diagnosed with high-grade T1 urothelial carcinoma. TURBT was performed and bladder perforation occurred during the procedure. Radical cystectomy after neoadjuvant chemotherapy failed to reveal an invasive tumor. However, the patient experienced peritoneal recurrence with liver metastasis 3 years following the operation. This case left physician wondering whether the bladder perforation and the resulting tumor seeding are the cause behind the late peritoneal recurrence of an early-stage urothelial carcinoma.