CT imaging features of urachal carcinoma
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摘要:
目的 分析脐尿管癌的CT影像特征,并探讨CT检查对该疾病的诊断价值。 方法 收集2012年12月至2022年12月海军军医大学第一附属医院收治的20例经手术病理证实的脐尿管癌患者的临床资料。20例患者中17例行增强CT尿路造影检查,3例行盆腔CT平扫+增强检查,扫描完成后在后处理工作站进行多平面重建。分析、总结患者的一般资料、临床症状、CT影像学资料、病理资料和预后情况。 结果 20例脐尿管癌患者中男16例、女4例,年龄27~75岁,中位年龄61.50(41.50,71.25)岁。肿瘤病灶均位于膀胱顶前壁脐尿管走行区,均沿脐尿管走行;病灶最大直径为1.72~5.55 cm,中位最大直径为3.34(2.48,3.71)cm;囊实性14例,实性6例,囊实性病灶中有9例矢状面呈“上囊下实”征象;17例病灶内可见钙化,3例未见钙化;18例病灶增强扫描后呈渐进性轻中度强化,2例呈“快进快出”式中度强化;19例病灶浸润超出脐尿管和/ 或膀胱肌层,1例浸润未超出。至随访终点,3例复发,2例发生转移,5例术后未复发,3例死亡,7例失访。 结论 脐尿管癌在CT影像上具有一定的特征性表现,利用CT增强扫描及多平面后处理重建矢状位有助于脐尿管癌的术前诊断及预后评估。 Abstract:Objective To analyze the computed tomography (CT) imaging features of urachal carcinoma and evaluate its diagnostic value. Methods The clinical data of 20 patients with urachal carcinoma confirmed by surgery and pathology, who were admitted to The First Affiliated Hospital of Naval Medical University from Dec. 2012 to Dec. 2022, were collected. Seventeen of the 20 patients underwent enhanced CT urography and 3 underwent pelvic CT plain scan+enhanced scan. After scanning, multiplanar reconstruction was performed on the post-processing workstation. The general data, clinical symptoms, CT imaging findings, pathological data, and prognosis of the patients were analyzed and summarized. Results The patients included 16 males and 4 females, aged 27 to 75 years old, with a median age of 61.50 (41.50, 71.25) years old. The tumors were all located in the anterior wall of the bladder, along the urachus, with a maximum diameter of 1.72-5.55 cm and a median maximum diameter of 3.34 (2.48, 3.71) cm. Fourteen cases had cystic-solid lesions and 6 had solid lesions. In the cystic-solid lesions, 9 cases showed the "upper cystic and lower solid" sign on the sagittal plane. Calcification was noted in 17 cases. After enhanced scanning, 18 cases showed progressive enhancement, and 2 cases showed "fast in and fast out" enhancement. Tumor invasion extended beyond the urachus and/or bladder muscle layer in 19 cases. At the end of follow-up, 3 cases had recurrence, 2 had metastasis, 5 had no recurrence after surgery, 3 died, and 7 were lost to follow-up. Conclusion Urachal carcinoma has certain characteristic manifestations on CT imaging. Reconstructing the sagittal plane with enhanced CT scanning and multiplanner reformation can help preoperative diagnosis and prognostic evaluation of urachal carcinoma. -
Keywords:
- urachal carcinoma /
- computed tomography /
- diagnosis /
- prognosis
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脐尿管癌是一种临床较为罕见的恶性肿瘤,其发病率较低,占所有膀胱恶性肿瘤的比例不到1%[1]。脐尿管是胚胎时期产生的管道残余,位于横筋膜和壁腹膜之间的Retzius腹膜外间隙[2]。约90% 的脐尿管癌是腺癌[3]。脐尿管癌的发病位置较为隐匿,早期诊断较为困难,容易误诊、漏诊,且预后较差,因此早期诊断及术前评估是改善预后的关键。本研究回顾性分析了海军军医大学第一附属医院2012年12月至2022年12月收治的经手术病理证实的脐尿管癌患者的临床资料,对患者的CT影像学特征、病理类型及预后等进行总结,探讨CT检查在脐尿管癌诊断中的应用价值,以期提高术前诊断的准确性。
1 资料和方法
1.1 资料来源
收集2012年12月至2022年12月海军军医大学第一附属医院收治的经手术病理证实的成人脐尿管癌患者的临床资料,共20例。17例患者行增强CT尿路造影(computed tomographyurography,CTU)检查,3例行盆腔CT平扫+增强检查。提取患者的一般资料、临床症状、CT影像学资料、病理资料和预后情况,进行分析和总结。
1.2 仪器与方法
CT设备采用Toshiba AquilionONE 640层容积螺旋CT机或Philips iCT 256层螺旋CT机。扫描参数:管电压120 kV,管电流200 mAs,层厚为1 mm,层间距为1 mm,螺距为0.87,视野为350 mm×350 mm。对比剂总量为80~100 mL,注射流率为3.5 mL/s。患者检查前均禁食禁水4 h。
增强CTU检查:先行平扫,注射非离子型碘对比剂后25~30 s、60~70 s、2~3 min及30 min分别行皮质期、髓质期、肾盂期及延迟期增强扫描。盆腔CT平扫+ 增强检查:先行平扫,注射非离子型碘对比剂后30~35 s、60~75 s分别行动脉期、静脉期扫描。扫描完成后,在后处理工作站进行多平面重建。
1.3 图像分析及肿瘤分期
通过CT各期图像观察病灶的位置、大小、形态、生长方式、内部成分、强化程度及特点、局部侵犯或转移情况,并做记录。病灶形态主要分为类椭圆形和不规则形;内部成分包括囊实性、实性,以及是否有钙化及钙化特征(如钙化灶形态、钙化数量);强化程度分为轻度强化、中度强化和明显强化,强化特点分为均匀强化和不均匀强化;局部侵犯或转移包括病灶有无超出脐尿管和/ 或膀胱肌层、有无区域淋巴结转移或远处转移等。肿瘤分期采用美国Mayo医学中心提出的Mayo分期系统:Ⅰ期指肿瘤局限于脐尿管和/ 或膀胱黏膜层,Ⅱ期指肿瘤浸润超出脐尿管和/或膀胱肌层,Ⅲ期为存在区域淋巴结转移,Ⅳ期为发生非区域淋巴结转移或远处转移[4]。由2名年资分别为6年和10年的影像科医师独立盲法阅片,结果不统一时通过协商达成一致。
1.4 统计学处理
应用SPSS 21.0软件对数据进行统计学分析。因样本量较小,计量资料以M(Q1, Q3)表示,计数资料以例数和百分数表示。
2 结果
2.1 患者的一般资料
脐尿管癌患者共20例,均经手术病理证实,男16例、女4例,年龄27~75岁,中位年龄61.50(41.50,71.25)岁。17例表现为肉眼血尿,1例尿中带脓,1例尿中出现胶冻样物,均未见尿频、尿急、尿痛等症状;1例无明显临床症状。病程最短25 d,最长为1年。
2.2 病灶的CT影像学特征
(1)位置:所有病灶均位于膀胱顶前壁脐尿管走行区,均沿脐尿管走行。(2)大小:病灶最大直径为1.72~5.55 cm,中位直径为3.34(2.48,3.71)cm。(3)形态:类椭圆形7例,不规则形13例。(4)生长方式:9例肿块向膀胱内生长,6例肿块沿脐尿管走行向膀胱外生长,5例沿脐尿管走行并向膀胱内外侧生长。(5)内部成分:6例(30.00%)为实性病灶;14例(70.00%)为囊实性病灶,其中2例为多房囊性灶伴少许实性成分,9例(占总病例数的45.00%,占囊实性病灶病例数的64.29%)病灶中的囊性部分靠近脐尿管端,矢状面呈“上囊下实”征象。3例(15.00%)病灶内未见钙化,17例(85.00%)病灶内可见钙化,其中16例呈斑点状钙化(6例单发、10例多发),1例呈单个环形钙化。(6)强化程度及特点:18例(90.00%)病灶呈渐进性轻中度强化,2例(10.00%)呈“快进快出”式中度强化。囊性成分无强化,实性成分均为不均匀强化。(7)有无局部侵犯或转移:1例病灶浸润未超出脐尿管和/ 或膀胱肌层,19例病灶浸润超出(其中2例伴区域淋巴结转移,1例伴网膜转移)。见图 1A~1E、图 2。
图 1 1例48岁男性脐尿管黏液腺癌患者的CT影像学表现及病灶组织H-E染色结果Fig. 1 CT imaging and H-E staining findings in a 48-year-old male with urachal mucinous adenocarcinomaThe patient presented with gross hematuria for 2 months and underwent plain and enhanced CT scans. A: Cross section plain scan showed that the lesion was located on the anterior wall of the bladder, with punctate calcification inside; B: The cross sectional cortical phase showed moderate enhancement of the solid part of the cystic-solid lesion, approximately 86 HU; C: The cross sectional medullary phase showed further enhancement of the solid part of the cystic-solid lesion, approximately 98 HU; D: Sagittal plain scan showed the lesion growing along the urachal duct; E: The medullary phase of the sagittal plane showed a cystic-solid lesion with the cystic portion located near the end of the urachal duct; F: H-E staining (×10) showed that tumor cells were cubic and columnar, floating in a mucus lake, with large and deeply stained nuclei arranged in glandular tubes and infiltrating growth, diagnosed as mucinous adenocarcinoma. CT: Computed tomography; H-E: Hematoxylin-eosin; HU: Hounsfield unit.图 2 1例27岁男性脐尿管黏液腺癌患者的CT影像学表现Fig. 2 CT imaging findings of a 27-year-old male patient with urachal mucinous adenocarcinomaA: The cross sectional plain scan showed the lesion located on the anterior wall of the bladder apex, with multiple flecked calcifications; B: The cross sectional cortical phase showed moderate enhancement of the solid part of the lesion, approximately 91 HU; C: The cross sectional medullary phase showed a slight decrease in solid enhancement of the lesion, approximately 79 HU; D: The medullary phase of the sagittal plane showed a cystic-solid lesion with a cystic portion near the end of the urachus. CT: Computed tomography; HU: Hounsfield unit.2.3 术前放射学诊断
术前4例诊断为脐尿管癌,7例诊断为膀胱癌,5例诊断为恶性占位,2例诊断为脐尿管囊肿或脐尿管囊肿伴感染,2例未做出明确诊断。术前CT诊断准确率为20.00%(4/20)。
2.4 手术情况、病理结果及术后随访
20例脐尿管恶性肿瘤患者中,14例行脐尿管癌根治术,3例行腹腔镜下脐尿管癌根治术,1例行经尿道膀胱肿瘤切除术,2例穿刺确诊(1例网膜转移保守治疗,另1例失访)。术中大体所见:菜花样肿块9例,息肉样肿块1例,腺泡样肿块1例,囊性肿块1例,结节样肿块6例;10例肿块为宽基底,2例肿块有蒂,6例非宽基底无蒂。
术后病理结果:18例(90.00%)为腺癌,其中15例为黏液腺癌(图 1F)、3例为肠型腺癌,另2例为移行细胞癌。根据美国Mayo分期系统:Ⅰ期1例,Ⅱ期16例,Ⅲ期2例,Ⅳ期1例。
术后随访至2023年8月,除7例失访外,其余13例患者术后随访8~120个月,中位时间为45.00(17.75,82.50)个月。截至随访终点,3例患者复发并接受再治疗(2例进一步手术,1例进行化疗控制),1例发生肺转移,1例发生盆腔转移,5例术后未复发(1例完成了术后化疗,4例未化疗),3例死亡(均为70岁以上,1例死于新型冠状病毒感染,2例原因不详)。
3 讨论
脐尿管癌的临床表现主要是血尿和可触及的耻骨上方肿块,也可有腹痛、排尿困难、脓尿、脐部脓性或出血性分泌物等症状。研究发现,与良性脐尿管肿块患者相比,脐尿癌患者肉眼血尿发生率显著升高[5]。脐尿管腺癌患者中有2/3是中老年男性[6],本研究中病例的性别与年龄分布与之基本相符。脐尿管癌大多数为腺癌,约占90%[3],本组病例90.00%(18/20)为腺癌,与文献报道[3]相符。
脐尿管癌发病率较低,本研究纳入20例患者,在脐尿管癌影像诊断领域已属于样本量相对较多的研究。既往报道中,脐尿管癌的影像学检查主要采用CT横断位,基本上未进行矢状位重建[6],本组病例均实施了矢状位重建,有助于脐尿管癌的早期诊断和准确定位。
本组病例的病灶均位于膀胱顶前壁脐尿管走行区,且沿脐尿管走行,可向膀胱内外生长,病灶内部成分分为囊实性及实性,与既往研究报道[7-8]相符。本研究14例囊实性病灶中,有9例病灶中的囊性部分靠近脐尿管端,矢状面呈“上囊下实”征象,即囊性部分靠近上端的脐尿管、实性部分靠近下端的膀胱壁,占总病例数的45.00%(9/20)、占囊实性病灶病例数的64.29%(9/14)。脐尿管残余物可显示为由黏膜、结缔组织和平滑肌组成的管状或囊性结构,而脐尿管癌常继发于脐尿管残余物[9],同时部分肿瘤内部可发生坏死或分泌黏液,笔者认为这都是产生此征象的病理基础,因此囊实性改变是脐尿管癌较为重要的影像学特征。本研究中有64.29%(9/14)的囊实性病变呈现“上囊下实”征象,当出现此征象时应高度怀疑脐尿管癌。脐尿管癌的另一个重要特征是钙化,本组中85.00%(17/20)的病例出现了钙化。其可能的病理基础包括两方面:一方面,肿瘤细胞在坏死过程中会释放磷酸酶,促进了钙盐沉积;另一方面,当脐尿管癌为黏液腺癌类型时,癌细胞会分泌大量黏液,形成碱性环境,进一步加速钙盐沉积,最后导致钙化形成。既往文献指出,脐尿管中线软组织肿块中钙化的存在是诊断脐尿管腺癌的重要病理特征[10]。因此,钙化可作为脐尿管癌在CT影像上的重要表现特征之一。
本研究中所有瘤体最大直径均>1 cm,因脐尿管癌起病隐匿,发现时多已出现临床症状,提示病变并非早期。增强扫描显示,大部分病灶呈渐进性轻中度强化(90.00%,18/20),也可见“快进快出”式中度强化。本组中19例病灶浸润超出脐尿管和/或膀胱肌层,这一特征对Mayo分期具有重要价值。由于横断面CT扫描受容积效应影响,评估准确性受限,而本研究运用了多平面后处理重建技术中的矢状位成像,该技术能清晰显示肿瘤部位及其与脐尿管、膀胱的解剖关系,从而为术前评估提供了重要依据。
脐尿管癌是一种罕见的膀胱恶性肿瘤,由于认识不足,其术前影像学诊断准确率较低。本研究中术前诊断准确率仅为20.00%(4/20)。为提高诊断水平,建议进一步总结该肿瘤的影像学特征,并加强影像科医师对其特征性表现的学习。此外,由于脐尿管癌起病隐匿,多数患者确诊时已属晚期,预后较差。文献报道患者5年生存率与临床分期密切相关[11]。本研究中,1例术Ⅲ期患者在随访8个月后出现肺转移、1例Ⅲ期患者在2个月后复发,2例Ⅱ期患者分别于16个月、19个月时复发,1例Ⅱ期患者在6个月后出现盆腔转移,1例Ⅳ期患者失访。
脐尿管癌需要与以下疾病相鉴别。(1)膀胱癌:多位于膀胱后三角区及两侧壁,而较少位于脐尿管走行区,病灶多为实性,多呈菜花状、乳头状向膀胱内生长,邻近膀胱壁可出现增厚现象[12]。在本研究中,有7例病例在术前被误诊为膀胱癌,不过,脐尿管癌具有独特的影像学特征,掌握这些特点有助于将两者区分开来。(2)脐尿管囊肿或脐尿管囊肿伴感染:多呈类圆形低密度囊性病灶,囊壁厚薄均匀,伴有感染时可见囊壁增厚、毛糙,增强扫描多呈不均匀环形强化。而脐尿管癌囊壁厚薄不均且质地相对较僵硬。本研究中有1例患者的病理结果为脐尿管囊腺瘤局部癌变,即黏液性囊腺癌,这种情况较为罕见,鉴别诊断难度较大[13]。脐尿管残余物可能引发的并发症主要包括感染、良性肿瘤及恶性肿瘤。其中,脐尿管良性肿瘤目前多见于个案报道,常见的类型有腺瘤、囊腺瘤,此外还有纤维瘤、纤维肌瘤、纤维腺瘤等,确诊通常依赖于手术切除后的病理检查[1]。(3)脐尿管感染性病变:临床症状常表现为腹痛、尿频、排尿困难,可见邻近膀胱壁增厚,肿块周围渗出,钙化少见。而脐尿管癌通常无明显症状或表现为血尿,邻近膀胱壁增厚较少见,多可见钙化[14]。(4)非脐尿管癌的膀胱腺癌:常见于膀胱三角区和后壁,病灶可表现为乳头状、广基或溃疡性病变,临床表现以血尿为主,可有膀胱刺激征,其预后较脐尿管腺癌差[15-16]。
本研究存在以下局限性:首先,尽管本中心近10年收集的20例脐尿管癌病例数已超过多数既往影像学研究,但由于该病罕见,样本量仍显不足。其次,“上囊下实”这一特征性征象在本研究中出现比例较高,但其诊断价值仍需更大样本研究进一步验证。
综上所述,及早发现并行手术切除可显著改善脐尿管癌患者的长期预后,CT影像学方法对于早期发现肿瘤、明确临床分期及判断预后具有重要价值。肿瘤位置、钙化及囊实性征象是诊断脐尿管癌的重要征象,且多平面重建技术(尤其矢状位)能清晰显示肿瘤部位及其与脐尿管、膀胱的解剖关系,对于肿瘤的术前评估至关重要。
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图 1 1例48岁男性脐尿管黏液腺癌患者的CT影像学表现及病灶组织H-E染色结果
Fig. 1 CT imaging and H-E staining findings in a 48-year-old male with urachal mucinous adenocarcinoma
The patient presented with gross hematuria for 2 months and underwent plain and enhanced CT scans. A: Cross section plain scan showed that the lesion was located on the anterior wall of the bladder, with punctate calcification inside; B: The cross sectional cortical phase showed moderate enhancement of the solid part of the cystic-solid lesion, approximately 86 HU; C: The cross sectional medullary phase showed further enhancement of the solid part of the cystic-solid lesion, approximately 98 HU; D: Sagittal plain scan showed the lesion growing along the urachal duct; E: The medullary phase of the sagittal plane showed a cystic-solid lesion with the cystic portion located near the end of the urachal duct; F: H-E staining (×10) showed that tumor cells were cubic and columnar, floating in a mucus lake, with large and deeply stained nuclei arranged in glandular tubes and infiltrating growth, diagnosed as mucinous adenocarcinoma. CT: Computed tomography; H-E: Hematoxylin-eosin; HU: Hounsfield unit.
图 2 1例27岁男性脐尿管黏液腺癌患者的CT影像学表现
Fig. 2 CT imaging findings of a 27-year-old male patient with urachal mucinous adenocarcinoma
A: The cross sectional plain scan showed the lesion located on the anterior wall of the bladder apex, with multiple flecked calcifications; B: The cross sectional cortical phase showed moderate enhancement of the solid part of the lesion, approximately 91 HU; C: The cross sectional medullary phase showed a slight decrease in solid enhancement of the lesion, approximately 79 HU; D: The medullary phase of the sagittal plane showed a cystic-solid lesion with a cystic portion near the end of the urachus. CT: Computed tomography; HU: Hounsfield unit.
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