[Sarcomatoid carcinoma of the urinary bladder: report of a case].

A 77-year-old man was admitted to our hospital for a scheduled examination after transurethral resection of transitional cell carcinoma of urinary bladder. Tumor reccurence was found in the bladder by cystoscopic examination. Total cystectomy and unilateral cutaneous ureterostomy were performed. Histologically the tumor was composed of epithelial and sarcomatous elements. Therefore, we diagnosed this tumor as sarcomatoid carcinoma. The patient died of lung metastasis three months after operation. Autopsy findings showed lung metastasis and local reccurence which were composed of carcinomatous and sarcomatous elements. About 64 cases of sarcomatoid carcinoma of the urinary bladder have been reported in the Japanese literature and are reviewed briefly here.