Epidemiological, Clinical and Therapeutic Aspects of Bladder Tumors in a Schistosomiasis-Endemic Country

Abstract

Introduction: Bladder tumors are common in our country; Mali is a bilharzial endemic country. In our context, urinary bilharzia is common, and bladder tumors arouse particular interest in the field of urological oncology, because of their frequency, their diagnosis, their difficulty in management and their histological particularity. The objective of our work was to study the epidemiological, clinical and therapeutic aspects of bladder tumors. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive study with a retrospective and prospective collection that took place over 3 years from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2022. Results: We identified 316 cases of bladder tumors during this period. Bladder tumors are a common pathology representing 35.95% of all hospitalized patients, and occupying the 1st rank of tumors in urology in the Urology Department of the Pr Bocar Sidy Sall University Hospital in Kati. Bladder tumors were more common in men with 56.33%. The average age of our patients was 50 years ± 25.8 years and the extreme ages were 20 and 87 years. Urinary schistosomiasis, considered a predisposing factor, was found in 66.78% of cases in our patients as a history. Transurethral resection of the bladder was performed in 100% of our patients, nephrostomy in 1.90% of cases, ureterostomy in 1.58% of cases, Bricker type urinary diversion in 1.27% of cases, and a neobladder in 0.32% of cases. Squamous cell carcinoma is the dominant histological type (88.29%). The postoperative outcome was 99% favorable after resection. Conclusion: Bladder tumors were mainly tumors infiltrating the bladder muscle. The main risk factor was urinary bilharzia. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common histological type with a diagnostic delay, thus limiting radical treatment after resection of the bladder tumor.