Results of combined and radiation therapy for cancer of the urethra

Abstract

Clinical course of primary urethral cancer is characterized in detail in 31 patients. Specific features in the disease course with consideration for tumor stage and patient's sex are analyzed. Urethral cancer is diagnosed only at stages III—IV in the majority (74.2%) of cases. The disease is more incident in women aged over 60 years with a history of chronic cystitis, urethritis, and urethral leukoplakia. The main clinical manifestations of primary urethral cancer are bloody discharge from the urethra, painful difficult urination, and palpated tumor. The symptoms persist for 12.06 months on average. The treatment efficiency depends on the stage of the process: complete effect is attained in 100% patients with stage I, in 75% with stage II, in 54.55% with stage III, and in 41.67% with stage IV. Local relapses are significantly more incident in men (50% vs. only 5.26% in women), 5-year uneventful survival is significantly better in women: 59.6%, vs. 31.2% in men. The median total survival of patients with primary urethral cancer is 61.3 months, total 5-year survival 53±11.6%. Evaluation of the results of different treatments for primary urethral cancer demonstrated the advantages of surgical and combined treatment vs. radiotherapy as a monotreatment. Radiotherapy should be carried out only when surgical removal of the tumor is impossible.