Nonfunctional urinary bladder paraganglioma: a rare case report and review of the literatures

Urinary bladder paraganglioma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor and nonfunctional bladder paraganglioma is extremely rare and difficult to diagnose due to their non-secreting nature. We report a rare female case of nonfunctional bladder paraganglioma with detailed clinicopathological data and follow-up information. The patient presented with supra-pubic pain. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a 11 mm×9 mm nodular lesion on the left posterior wall of the urinary bladder, and the lesion exhibited intense enhancement in the arterial phase. The patient underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT). By immunohistochemistry investigations, the cells were strongly positive for neuroendocrine markers such as Syn, and sustentacular cells stained positive for S-100. Staining for cytokeratin AE1/AE3 and CK20 was negative. Taken together with radiological features and immunohistochemical results of the tumor, a diagnosis of urinary bladder paraganglioma was made. However, it is difficult to identify malignancy on histopathology, regular follow-up is necessary for urinary bladder paraganglioma with malignant potential.