Sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma accompanied by elevated serum ?-HCG: Two case reports Sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma with elevated serum ?-HCG

Abstract

Sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma is a rare and aggressive variant. Serum beta-hCG levels are used as a tumor marker in gestational trophoblastic diseases and germ cell tumors, but may also be elevated in high-grade bladder cancers. Here, we report two urothelial carcinoma cases with sarcomatoid differentiation that relapsed early after surgery with elevated serum beta-hCG levels. The first case was a 65-year-old female and the second case was a 67-year-old man with sarcomatoid urothelial carcinoma located in the ureter and renal pelvicalyceal system, both of them relapsed with elevated beta-hCG serum level to 146.8 mIU/mL and 242 mIU/mL, respectively. They died a few months after initial diagnosis; 4.9 and 2.5 months respectively. Both sarcomatoid variant and beta-hCG expression were associated with poor prognosis and advanced stage. However, beta-hCG is not used as a tumor marker in urinary tract cancers yet, and its relationship with variant pathologies has not been clarified. We need multi-centered studies to reveal this relationship.