Urethral recurrences following radical cystectomy for invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder

A total of 177 patients with invasive transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder underwent radical cystoprostatectomy, of whom 13 underwent simultaneous urethrectomy. The remaining 164 patients were followed up regularly with urethroscopy and urethral cytology. Fifteen patients developed urethral recurrences, 4 of which were associated with relapses at other sites (recurrence rate 9%), with a mean recurrence-free interval of 13.5 months. Nine of the 11 patients with isolated urethral recurrences underwent total urethrectomy and all except 1 are alive and disease-free 2 to 8 years later. One patient was salvaged by radiation therapy and refused further treatment. The 4 patients with other associated relapses died within 18 months. The urethral recurrence rate was correlated to different risk groups defined on the basis of tumour characteristics in the cystectomy specimen. This revealed a 70% urethral recurrence rate in the high risk group, 9.6% in the moderate risk group and 1.2% in the low risk group. However, no conclusion could be drawn regarding the influence of prostatic involvement on the urethral recurrence rate.