Primary urethral carcinoma with variant histology: A case report and literature review

Liu,Miao; Xu,Shenghan; He,Jun; Mu,Yi; Chen,Kehang; Zhang,Wenjun; Che,Bangwei; Tang,Kaifa

doi:10.3892/mco.2022.2575

Primary urethral carcinoma with variant histology: A case report and literature review

Authors:
- Miao Liu
- Shenghan Xu
- Jun He
- Yi Mu
- Kehang Chen
- Wenjun Zhang
- Bangwei Che
- Kaifa Tang
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Affiliations: Department of Urology, Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang, Guizhou 550004, P.R. China
Published online on: August 3, 2022 https://doi.org/10.3892/mco.2022.2575
Article Number: 142
Copyright: © Liu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Primary urethral carcinoma (PUC) has rarely been reported, notably with variant histology. The present case reports a 68‑year‑old male patient with a 3‑month history of difficulty voiding urine accompanied by a burning sensation in the urinary tract and hematuria. Urethrography and computed tomography (CT) indicated a mass localized in the urethral bulb. A fine needle biopsy revealed the mass to be a malignant tumor of the urethra. Partial penectomy was eventually performed and postoperative histopathological examination confirmed that the lesion was PUC, with mixed characteristics of urothelial and squamous differentiation. The patient was postoperatively followed up and at 9 months, a repeat CT scan revealed local recurrence and metastases. The patient rejected further treatment and eventually succumbed to the disease three months later. The present case report demonstrates an example in which urothelial and squamous differentiation simultaneously exist in the pathological report. The clinical features, diagnosis and treatment status of PUC were also summarized and analyzed to improve the clinical understanding of this unique disease.

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