Treatment

TREATMENT OPTIONS BY STAGE

Anterior Urethral Cancer

Treatment of anterior urethral cancer is different for men and women.

For women, treatment may include the following:

• Radiation therapy followed by surgery (anterior exenteration and urinary diversion).
• Surgery (open excision, electro-resection with fulguration, lymph node dissection, or anterior exenteration and urinary diversion).
• Laser surgery.
• External and/or internal radiation therapy.

For men, treatment may include the following:

• Surgery (open excision, electro-resection with fulguration, lymph node dissection, or partial or radical penectomy).
• Laser surgery.
• Radiation therapy.

Posterior Urethral Cancer

Treatment of posterior urethral cancer is different for men and women.

For women, treatment may include the following:

• Radiation therapy followed by surgery (anterior exenteration with lymph node dissection and urinary diversion).
• Radiation therapy with or without surgery (other than anterior exenteration and urinary diversion).
• Surgery (other than anterior exenteration and urinary diversion) alone.

For men, treatment may be radiation therapy followed by surgery (cystoprostatectomy, penectomy, lymph node dissection, and urinary diversion).

Urethral Cancer Associated with Invasive Bladder Cancer

Treatment of urethral cancer that develops with invasive bladder cancer may include the following:

• Surgery (cystourethrectomy or cystoprostatectomy).
• Watchful waiting.

Recurrent Urethral Cancer

Treatment of recurrent urethral cancer that comes back near the urethra depends on the type of treatment the patient received before, as follows:

• Surgery: For patients who were first treated with radiation therapy.
• Radiation therapy with surgery: For patients who were first treated with surgery alone.

Treatment of recurrent urethral cancer that comes back in distant parts of the body is usually a clinical trial of chemotherapy.

Glossary

• Open excision: Removal of the cancer by surgery.
• Electro-resection with fulguration: Surgery to remove the cancer by electric current. A lighted tool with a small wire loop on the end is used to remove the cancer or to burn the tumor away with high-energy electricity.
• Laser surgery: A surgical procedure that uses a laser beam (a narrow beam of intense light) as a knife to make bloodless cuts in tissue or to remove or destroy tissue.
• Lymph node dissection: Lymph nodes in the pelvis and groin may be removed.
• Cystourethrectomy: Surgery to remove the bladder and the urethra.
• Cystoprostatectomy: Surgery to remove the bladder and the prostate.
• Anterior exenteration: Surgery to remove the urethra, the bladder, and the vagina. Plastic surgery may be done to rebuild the vagina.
• Partial penectomy: Surgery to remove the part of the penis surrounding the urethra where cancer has spread. Plastic surgery may be done to rebuild the penis.
• Radical penectomy: Surgery to remove the entire penis. Plastic surgery may be done to rebuild the penis.

Reference:

National Cancer Institute, USA.