Doctor's Notes on Urethral Cancer
Urethral cancer is a rare disease where one of three cell type found in the urethra (squamous, transitional and glandular [ resulting in adenocarcinoma] cells) develop into cancer cells. These cancers metastasize quickly to the lymph nodes and occur more often in men. Signs and symptoms may include a lump or thickness in the perineum or penis, a painless swelling in the groin, trouble starting urination, stop and go urine flow, frequent urination at night, incontinence, urethral discharge, urethral bleeding or blood in the urine.
The cause of the development of cancerous urethral cells is not known; associated risk factors include a history of bladder cancer, STD infections (especially human papilloma virus type 16) and frequent urinary tract infections.
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REFERENCE:
Kasper, D.L., et al., eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 19th Ed. United States: McGraw-Hill Education, 2015.