Contemporary Management of Primary Distal Urethral Cancer

Urethral cancer: a comprehensive review endorsed by the Global Society of Rare Genitourinary Tumours

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effectiveness and adverse effects of urethrectomy alone or as part of multimodal therapy (MMT).

METHODS

A comprehensive search was conducted across MEDLINE (OVID), EMBASE, LILACS and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases, from their inception to the present date. The study cohort comprised individuals aged 16 years and older diagnosed with urethral tumours at any stage who underwent either isolated urethrectomy or urethrectomy as an integral component of MMT.

RESULTS

Ninety-two studies comprising 25 480 patients met the inclusion criteria. Surgical outcomes for urethral cancer vary considerably, with 5-year overall survival (OS) ranging from 10% to 68% based on disease extent, approach, and gender. Radiotherapy (RT) alone provides 5-year OS of approximately 40%. Combined regimens provide better outcomes compared to single modalities, including reduced recurrence and enhanced survival. However, trimodal therapy showed survival benefits only for urothelial subtypes, indicating the need to tailor management according to cancer type. MMT with neoadjuvant chemotherapy prior to surgery demonstrated the most consistent survival gains.

CONCLUSIONS

The management of urethral cancer demands a nuanced, personalised approach, accounting for factors such as tumour location, sex, and tumour stage. MMT combining surgery, chemotherapy and RT has shown the ability to enhance outcomes in advanced disease. More extensive collaborative studies through specialised centres are imperative to advance evidence-based protocols and refine treatment in order to improve survival.

Morphologic spectrum of the epithelial tumors of the male and female urethra

The classification of the epithelial tumors of the male and female urethra includes benign and malignant neoplasms. Primary urethral carcinomas and adenocarcinomas of the accessory glands are the most relevant tumors, both from the morphologic and clinical point of view. An accurate diagnosis, grading and staging are essential for determining adequate treatment strategies and outcome. Information on anatomy and histology of the urethra is of fundamental importance in understanding the morphology of the tumors, including the clinical importance of their location and origin.

A case report: Female primary urethral carcinoma presenting as vulval mass

INTRODUCTION

Primary urethral carcinoma is a rare disease with overall poorer outcomes in the past. It is relatively more uncommon in female sex.

CLINICAL PRESENTATION

We present a case of a female with primary urethral carcinoma that presented atypically as a vulval mass without any features of storage, voiding lower urinary tract symptoms, or gross haematuria.

DISCUSSION

As primary urethral carcinoma is rare in occurrence, prospective studies are limited so as the recommendations to guide treatment options. Treatment recommendations are still on development from different small-scale studies as well as from data in higher volume centers. Management options depends on location, extent, histology of the lesion as well as on sex of the patient and fitness of the patient.

CONCLUSION

Early diagnosis and treatment with multidisciplinary consult and multimodality will improve the overall survival rate and quality of life of the patients.

Advanced Female Primary Urethral Carcinoma with Nodal Extension Managed with Exclusive Use of Chemoradiotherapy: Report of a Case and Review of the Relevant Current Literature

Primary urethral carcinoma (PUC) is a rare disease with frequent nodal metastasis at the time of diagnosis. Few risk factors have been established and overall prognosis remains poor. As of now, no clear therapeutic guidelines are established and management of advanced PUC often involves surgery which can have negative functional and psychological outcomes for the patient. Few authors have already reported the use of chemoradiotherapy alone to avoid surgery with some good short-term results. We report the case of a 48-year-old woman with advanced high-grade urothelial carcinoma of distal urethra associated to bilateral inguinal nodal metastasis. She was similarly and successfully treated using chemoradiotherapy exclusively without significant adverse effects. This experience reinforces benefits of a surgery-sparing management, when possible, as recommended in current guidelines.

A brief review on the diagnostic and therapeutic principles of primary urethral cancer

Objective

Primary urethral carcinoma (PUC) is a rare malignant carcinoma but with limited therapeutic options. This review aims to provide an overview of the current strategies on this patient settings.

Methods

Recent literature ranging from January 1987 and December 2021 was assessed through PubMed search to assess the diagnostic and therapeutic principles of PUC.

Results

A complete of examination including cystoscopy, imaging, and biopsy should be conducted for these patients. Once diagnosed, the clinical decision of PUC should be made according to the tumor location, pathological pattern, and extent of the tumor. For patients with superficial and distal urethral lesions, organ sparing approaches or radical reconstructive procedures can be utilized. While for more advanced disease or nodal involvement, an optimal multimodal treatment strategy consisted of surgery and radiochemotherapy should be adopted. For patients with urothelial carcinoma of the prostate, the management including transurethral resection of the prostate followed by bacille Calmette-Guerin or radical cystoprostatectomy should depend on the infiltration depth of PUC.

Conclusion

A complete of examination is important for the diagnosis of PUC. The management of PUC should be determined by the location, pathological pattern, and extent of the tumor. More multi-institutional collaborations should be held to investigate better treatment modalities for PUC.

Distal urethral carcinoma: Contemporary management with phallus preserving techniques

INTRODUCTION

Primary urethral carcinoma is a rare clinical entity with an incidence of 1 case per million in the United Kingdom. Cancers of the distal urethra are most commonly of squamous subtype and often associated with Human Papilloma Virus infection. Penile preserving techniques are recommended in tumours of the pendulous urethra with a number of surgical approaches described. Herein, we describe the surgical management of 7 patients presenting with primary urethral carcinoma.

METHODS

Seven patients diagnosed with primary urethral carcinoma of the distal urethra were identified using a prospectively maintained penile cancer database at our institution from May 2017 to November 2020.

RESULTS

The mean age at presentation was 56.5 (33-80) years. Presenting symptoms included visible lesion, LUTS and a groin mass. Three patients had lesions located within the glanular urethra and had a distal urethrectomy and primary closure. Two patients with lesions extending proximal to the glanular urethra and into or beyond the fossa navicularis had a distal urethrectomy with a hypospadic neomeatus formation. One patient with tumour extending into the glans penis underwent distal urethrectomy and partial glansectomy with split thickness skin graft. A partial penectomy was performed for one patient with urethral tumour invading the corporal heads. Mean follow-up was 23.4 (±17.0) months. There have been no disease recurrences to date.

CONCLUSION

Penile preserving techniques are feasible in patients with tumours of the pendulous urethra and do not appear to compromise local control.

Leptomeningeal Disease as a Rare Complication of Primary Penile Urethral Cancer

Primary penile urethral cancer is a rare genitourinary malignancy arising from the epithelial lining of the urethra. Our patient is a 63-year-old male with newly diagnosed penile urethral carcinoma who presented with headache and was found to have leptomeningeal disease on imaging and cerebral spinal fluid analysis. He was treated with systemic and intrathecal chemotherapy with some response and improvement in symptoms. This is the first reported case of leptomeningeal disease as a complication of penile urethral carcinoma. Recognition and prompt treatment are important; however, overall prognosis of this entity remains poor.

Penile-preserving surgery for male distal urethral carcinoma followed by buccal mucosa urethroplasty

Introduction

We report a case of distal urethral carcinoma treated with segmental urethral excision and reconstruction by staged buccal mucosa urethroplasty.

Case presentation

A 60‐year‐old man presented with difficulty urinating and a palpable mass on the ventral side of his penis. He was diagnosed as having localized distal urethral carcinoma (cT2N0M0) and underwent penile‐preserving surgery with staged urethroplasty using buccal mucosa as substitute tissue. The pathological diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma of the urethra (T2) with negative surgical margin. At 2 years of follow‐up, there was no recurrence or metastasis, he could void in a standing position with an acceptable urinary stream, and he found the appearance of his external genitalia acceptable.

Conclusion

In cases of distal primary urethral carcinoma, urethroplasty using buccal mucosa graft could be alternative treatment option providing a better postoperative quality of life.

Primary Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Male Proximal Urethra: Outcomes from a Single Centre

BACKGROUND

Primary squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the male proximal urethra is an aggressive and rare urogenital malignancy.

OBJECTIVE

To review the surgical management and outcomes for male proximal urethral SCCs within a single centre and to suggest an algorithm for the surgical management of these rare tumours.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

This was a retrospective study of patients undergoing surgery for male proximal urethral SCC within a single tertiary academic centre managing rare genital tumours. Ten patients with a histological diagnosis of proximal urethral SCC were identified from an institutional database over a period of 10 yr with a median follow-up of 22.5 mo (standard deviation±25.77 mo).

OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS AND STATISTICAL ANALYSIS

Pathological staging, surgical treatment, and neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment were recorded. Complications according to the Clavien-Dindo classification and overall survival rates were recorded. Kaplan-Meier curves were used for overall survival.

RESULTS AND LIMITATIONS

A total of 10 patients were identified of whom eight underwent panurethrectomy and radical prostatectomy. Radical inguinal lymphadenectomy was performed in five patients, which confirmed bilateral metastatic disease. Perioperative complications were reported in six patients (Clavien I and II). Within 6 mo of surgery, 90% of patients developed distant metastatic disease. Nine patients died of urethra cancer during the follow-up. One patient is still on follow-up. The median overall follow-up was 13.92 mo (range: 5-91 mo). At 5 yr, cancer-specific/overall survival was 10%. A limitation of this study is the retrospective design, which is unavoidable for such a rare disease.

CONCLUSIONS

Radical surgery allows local disease control, but despite neo/adjuvant treatment, proximal urethral SCC is associated with poor survival outcomes and progression to distant metastatic disease within 6 mo.

PATIENT SUMMARY

Proximal urethral squamous cell carcinoma is a rare cancer in men which is often detected late. Patients often present with problems such as voiding, urethral bleeding, or a palpable mass. Aggressive surgery allows local control, but despite this the overall survival is poor. Adjuvant and neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy can improve survival. Multicentric randomised trials are needed to identify the correct treatment modality.