Squamous cell carcinoma of the posterior urethra: Outcomes following radical surgery and adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy.

Abstract

425 Background: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the posterior urethra is rare and is associated with sexually transmitted infections, urethritis, chronic strictures or urethral surgery. Unlike anterior urethral SCC, the presentation of posterior urethral SCC is often late and there are currently no standardised treatment protocols. We present our series of posterior urethral SCC treated by radical surgery and bladder preservation by performing a pan-urethrectomy, radical prostatectomy with a bladder neck closure and chemoradiotherapy. Methods: We retrospectively collected data from patients diagnosed with posterior urethral SCC from a penile cancer database. Data including patient age, histological subtypes, surgical management, post-operative complications, chemo-radiotherapy and survival rates were recorded. Results: A total of 10 cases with histologically proven posterior urethral SCC were treated in a single centre. Median follow-up was 19 months (SD±10 months). Mean age at presentation was 49 years (SD±6.44) and usual type SCC (80%) was the most prevalent histological subtype followed by NOS and condylomatous SCC. The majority of cases were poorly differentiated SCC (70%), stage ≥ T3 and required radical surgery with total urethrectomy and radical prostatectomy. Complications included post-operative ileus (30%), wound infection (20%), sepsis (10%), perioperative transfusion was required in one patient. Lymphovascular invasion was present in 90% of cases and local recurrence occurred in 60% of patients. Only one patient was suitable for neo-adjuvant chemo-radiotherapy (cisplatin/5-FU) and a further 5 required adjuvant chemoradiotherapy following surgery. 60% of patients developed metastatic disease and 60% died with a median survival of 9.6 months (SD±5.3) from diagnosis to death. Conclusions: Posterior urethral SCC is rare and the late presentation means that neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy is often not possible. Radical surgery requires a pan-urethrectomy and urinary diversion. Despite adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, posterior urethral SCC is associated with significant mortality with a median survivial of less than one year.