Review on Organ Preserving Techniques in Patients with Urethral Carcinoma

Tumors of the urethra are rare and often require radical surgery when dealing with locally advanced tumors to achieve adequate local control of the disease. In males, these procedures include partial or total penectomy for distal urethral carcinoma or total penectomy with cystoprostatectomy for proximal urethral carcinoma. In females with locally advanced urethral carcinoma, anterior exenteration may be required for better oncological outcomes. Patients diagnosed with urethral carcinoma at earlier stage may be amenable for genital sparing surgery which offers preservation of body image and better quality of life. We sought to review the current available literature describing different techniques of surgical management in patients with primary urethral carcinoma and subsequent survival and oncological outcomes.