Urethral cancer (patient information)
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Urethral cancer |
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Urethral cancer On the Web |
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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Shanshan Cen, M.D. [2]
Overview
Urethral cancer is a rare cancer that occurs more often in men than in women. There are three types of urethral cancer. Squamous cell carcinoma is the most common type. It forms in the flat cells that line the urethra. Transitional cell carcinoma forms in cells near the urethral opening in women and in the part of the urethra that goes through the prostate gland in men. These cells change shape and stretch as urine passes out of the body. Adenocarcinoma forms in the glands near the urethra. These glands make and release mucus and other fluids.
Urethral cancer can metastasize (spread) quickly to tissues around the urethra and has often spread to nearby lymph nodes by the time it is diagnosed. Signs of urethral cancer include bleeding or trouble urinating.
What are the symptoms of Urethral cancer?
Signs of urethral cancer include bleeding or trouble with urination.
These and other signs and symptoms may be caused by urethral cancer or by other conditions. There may be no signs or symptoms in the early stages. Check with your doctor if you have any of the following:
- Trouble starting the flow of urine.
- Weak or interrupted ("stop-and-go") flow of urine.
- Frequent urination, especially at night.
- Incontinence.
- Discharge from the urethra.
- Bleeding from the urethra or blood in the urine.
- A lump or thickness in the perineum or penis.
- A painless lump or swelling in the groin.
What causes Urethral cancer?
Who is at highest risk?
Anything that increases your chance of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean that you will get cancer; not having risk factors doesn’t mean that you will not get cancer. Talk with your doctor if you think you may be at risk. Risk factors for urethral cancer include the following:
- Having a history of bladder cancer.
- Having conditions that cause chronic inflammation in the urethra, including:
- Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including human papillomavirus (HPV), especially HPV type 16.
- Frequent urinary tract infections (UTIs).
When to seek urgent medical care?
Diagnosis
Treatment options
There are different types of treatment for patients with urethral cancer. Four types of standard treatment are used:
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Active surveillance
Where to find medical care for Urethral cancer?
What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?
The prognosis of urethral cancer depends on the following factors:
- Anatomical location.
- Size.
- Stage.
- Depth of invasion.
Superficial tumors located in the distal urethra of both the female and male are generally curable. However, deeply invasive lesions are rarely curable by any combination of therapies. In men, the prognosis of tumors in the distal (pendulous) urethra is better than for tumors of the proximal (bulbomembranous) and prostatic urethra, which tend to present at more advanced stages. Likewise, distal urethral tumors tend to occur at earlier stages in women, and they appear to have a better prognosis than proximal tumors.
Possible complications
Sources
http://www.cancer.gov/types/urethral/patient/urethral-treatment-pdq