EFFECT OF SCHISTOSOMIASIS ON HISTOPATHOLOGIC PATTERN OF UROTHELIUM IN262 BLADDER BIOPSIES

Objective: Schistosomiasis is a known endemic disease in the Asir regi on of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Primary urinary carcinoma is the fo urth ranked cancer in the Asir region. The current study aims at revie wing the histopathologic pattern of 262 cystoscopic biopsies to evalua te the impact of schistosomiasis on the urothelial lining of the urina ry bladder among patients from Asir region. Results: Schistosomiasis w as diagnosed in 91 cases (37.7%), non-neoplastic urothelial lesions we re seen in 75 cases (29%) and primary bladder cancer was diagnosed in 61 cases (23.3%). Schistosomiasis was seen in association with 67% of patients with squamous cell carcinoma, 50% of patients with non-neopla stic proliferative urothelial lesions, 20% of patients with adenocarci noma and only 2.3% of patients with transitional cell carcinoma. Of th e 91 patients with schistosomiasis 47 (51.5%) showed associated urothe lial lesions of one type or the other while the remaining 44 (48.5%) d id not show associated urothelial lesions. Conclusion: The conclusion of the study is that schistosomiasis has an impact on bladder cancer t hrough a series of pre-neoplastic mucosal changes.