Surgical management of metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder: a case report and review of the literature

Nonurothelial bladder cancer is rare, and there is no consensus regarding optimal systemic therapy. Even less well-defined is the role for surgical resection of oligometastatic sites that progress despite systemic therapy. Here, we describe the case of a 65-year-old woman who underwent radical cystectomy for locally advanced pure squamous cell carcinoma (SqCC) and subsequently developed two substantial metastatic lung lesions shortly after surgery. After her disease did not respond to platinum-based doublet chemotherapy and immunotherapy, hospice was considered, given her declining performance status. However, she underwent a pulmonary bilobectomy, which resulted in a durable complete response lasting over 2 years. This case demonstrates a potential role for surgical intervention in the management of metastatic SqCC of the bladder.