Case Report

Squamous Cell Carcinoma In Situ in a Female Urethral Diverticulum

Authors: Diane Young, MD, Seth Bilello, MD, Alex Gomelsky, MD

Abstract

There have been less than 100 reported cases of carcinoma in a female urethral diverticulum, with only 10 of these cases being squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). The course of this disease is frequently aggressive, despite multimodality treatment, and most patients die within 2 to 3 years. To our knowledge, carcinoma in situ of the female urethral diverticulum has not been reported to date, and thus, optimal treatment is not well defined. A 41-year-old woman was found to have SCC in situ without evidence of invasive carcinoma after diverticulectomy. She elected close observation and remains disease-free at 2 years. A brief overview is given of the presentation, management, and outcomes of urethral diverticular carcinoma.


Key Points


* Carcinoma in a female urethral diverticulum is rare and the typical course is aggressive.


* Optimum treatment usually involves radical surgery and adjuvant therapy.


* Prognosis depends on histology, stage, and grade of the cancer.


* Despite its high grade, carcinoma in situ may be completely excised with the diverticulum, and thus, cure may be possible without radical surgery.

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