Pathology

Bladder pathology is one of the more challenging areas in the discipline of surgical pathology. The wide range of appearances of a normal bladder, the spectrum of diagnostic entities, and the limited availability of useful ancillary markers make the diagnosis of bladder cancer difficult in many instances. This chapter covers normal urothelium, benign and neoplastic surface lesions, and invasive bladder cancer and its variants. We have designed our discussion to guide clinicians in understanding the challenges of bladder pathology and to provide assistance in the interpretation of bladder cancer diagnosis. We have restricted our chapter to the most common entities and their associated differential diagnosis.