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Urethral Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)

  • Last Modified: 01/09/2008

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General Information

The prognosis of urethral cancer depends on its anatomical location and the depth of invasion. Superficial tumors located in the anterior urethra of both the female and male are generally curable; deeply invasive lesions or those lesions located in the posterior urethra, because they are almost always deeply invasive, are rarely curable by any combinations of therapy.

Female urethral cancer is more common than male urethral cancer, but both tumors are quite rare. The majority of information comes from cases accumulated over many decades at major cancer centers. Rarely, melanomas or periurethral sarcomas can occur.