Surgical treatment of female urethral carcinoma

Urethral cancer is the only genitourinary neoplasm with a predilection for women, the ratio being 4:1. The histologic type depends on the cells of origin. Squamous-cell carcinoma predominates, with adenocarcinoma and transitional-cell carcinoma being less common and undifferentiated carcinoma, malignant melanoma, mixed tumors, clear-cell carcinoma, and cloacogenic carcinoma accounting for the remaining lesions. The authors describe the various options for the management of low-stage and high-stage cancers and of cancers arising in urethral diverticula.