WHO/ISUP classification of the urothelial tumors of the urinary bladder

• Main Author: Zdenka Ovčak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Slovenian Medical Association 2005-09-01
• Series: Zdravniški Vestnik
• Subjects: urinary bladder; urothelial tumors; classification
• Online Access: http://vestnik.szd.si/index.php/ZdravVest/article/view/2135

<p><strong>Background:</strong> The authors present the current classification of urothelial neoplasms of the urinary bladder. The classification of urothelial tumors of the urinary bladder of 1973 was despite some imperfection relatively successfuly used for more than thirty years. The three grade classification of papillary urothelial tumors without invasion has been based on evaluation of variations in architecture of covering epithelium and tumor cell anaplasia. As reccomended by the International Society of Urological Pathologists (ISUP), the World Health Organisation (WHO) accepted the new WHO/ ISUP classification in 1998 that was revised in 2002 and finally published in 2004. With intention to avoid unnecessary diagnosis of cancer in patients having papillary urothelial tumors with rare invasive or metastastatic growth, this classification introduced a new entity, the papillary urothelial neoplasia of low malignant potential (PUNLMP). The additional change in classification was the division of invasive urothelial neoplasms only to low and high grade urothelial carcinomas.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The authors’ opinion is that although the old classification is not recommended for use anymore the new one is not solving the elementary reproaches to previous classification such as terminological unsuitability and insufficient scientific reasoning. Our proposed solution in classification of papillary urothelial neoplasms would be the application of criteria analogous to that used in diagnostics of papillary noninvasive tumors of the head and neck or alimentary tract.</p>