Cystitis Glandularis: A Rare Benign Condition Presenting as Bladder Tumor

Abstract

Cystitis glandularis or glandular metaplasia of the urinary bladder, is a benignreactive metaplasia of the urothelium, which occurs in the context of chronic irritation, in less than 2% of the general population. It is a condition in most casesasymptomatic, but also characterized by nonspecific symptoms and paraclinical findings, which is why this condition is underdiagnosed. Its evolution is mainly focused on the risk of malignant degeneration. This condition affects men much more commonly than women. Two forms of cystitis glandularis are recognized: typical and intestinal form. They differ in their histology, incidence, difficulty of diagnosis, and possible association with adenocarcinoma of the bladder. Diagnosis of certainty is histological by careful analysis of chips from bladder endoscopic resection. This rare pathology is managed by endoscopic bladder resection, with repeated cystoscopy as a monitoring tool. Extensive surgical is needed in severe or recurrent cases. We present here-in a case of a female patient having cystitis glandularis presenting with lower urinary tract symptoms. We review equally data reported in literature. To the best of our knowledge our case represents the fourth case of cystitis glandularis affecting a female patient reported in the English literature so far.