Urethral Cancer

Urethral cancer is a disease in which malignant cells form in the tissues of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to outside the body. Urethral cancer is rare, but it occurs more often in men than in women and incidence is twice as high in Black individuals compared with white individuals.

There are different types of urethral cancer, including squamous cell carcinoma (which is the most common), transitional cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. Because urethral cancer spreads quickly to surrounding tissue, cancer is often detected in the nearby lymph nodes by the time the disease is diagnosed.

Risk factors for urethral cancer include a history of bladder cancer as well as a history of diseases that cause chronic inflammation in the urethra such as sexually transmitted diseases, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and frequent urinary tract infections.

Urethral Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)

Source: National Cancer Institute