Gastric Outlet Obstruction as a presentation of Metastatic Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder: A case report and review of the literature

Int J Surg Case Rep. 2024 May:118:109625. doi: 10.1016/j.ijscr.2024.109625. Epub 2024 Apr 9.

Abstract

Introduction: Gastric outlet obstruction presents with a range of symptoms which include abdominal pain, early satiety, weight loss and vomiting caused obstruction secondary to tumors from outside the gastrointestinal tract or due to motility disorders. Bladder cancer is rarely associated with Gastric outlet obstruction. It usually presents with painless hematuria and urinary symptoms. Squamous cell carcinoma is a subtype of bladder malignancies that tends to present at a later stage and is associated with poorer prognosis in terms of metastasis and survival.

Case presentation: We present the case of a 79-year-old man, non-smoker, who presented to the emergency department with gastric outlet obstruction and was found to have non-bilharzial squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder metastatic to the retroperitoneal lymph nodes causing duodenal and small bowel obstruction.

Clinical discussion: Squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder, tends to present at later stages and spread to adjacent organs or spread through lymphatics to lymph nodes, liver, bone, brain, lungs, and the gastro-intestinal tract. Diagnosis is made through cystoscopy, pathology and imaging. Non-Bilharzial Squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder is associated with increased morbidity and mortality than its Bilharzial counterpart.

Conclusion: This is a unique case of non-bilharzial squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder, metastatic to retroperitoneal lymph nodes that lead to compression of the duodenum and small bowels and eventual gastric outlet obstruction. There are few reports of gastro-intestinal obstruction secondary to bladder cancer, however this is the first case metastatic non-bilharzial Squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder presenting as gastric outlet obstruction.

Keywords: Bladder cancer; Gastric outlet obstruction; Metastatic bladder cancer; Squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder.

Publication types

  • Case Reports