Pelvic lipomatosis associated with cystitis glandularis and adenocarcinoma of the bladder

Abstract

Pelvic lipomatosis is a rare condition characterized by an overgrowth of normal fat in the perivesical and perirectal spaces. Cystitis glandularis, cystica or follicularis has been observed in 75% of the patients with pelvic lipomatosis. Although cystitis glandularis is widely regarded as premalignant few reports have documented its transition to adenocarcinoma. We describe a 41-year-old man with pelvic lipomatosis in whom primary adenocarcinoma of the bladder developed 6 years after a histological diagnosis of cystitis cystica and glandularis was established. To our knowledge this is the second case reported of pelvic lipomatosis associated with proliferative cystitis and adenocarcinoma of the bladder, indicating that intestinal metaplasia of the urothelium may be a precursor of malignancy in these patients.