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Radiation-induced urothelial carcinoma
Urologia Internationalis
|January 1, 1996
Summary
Pelvic irradiation for cervical or ovarian cancer can lead to urothelial carcinoma decades later. These secondary cancers, affecting the bladder or ureter, proved fatal despite treatment.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Urology
- Radiation Oncology
Background:
- Pelvic irradiation is a standard treatment for gynecologic malignancies.
- Long-term complications of radiotherapy can include secondary malignancies.
- Urothelial carcinoma is a rare but serious potential sequela.
Observation:
- Four cases of urothelial carcinoma (UC) were identified in patients previously treated with pelvic irradiation.
- The initial diagnoses were cervical carcinoma (3 cases) and ovarian carcinoma (1 case).
- The mean latency period between radiotherapy and UC diagnosis was 26.8 years.
Findings:
- Urothelial carcinomas developed in the bladder (3 patients) and ureter (1 patient).
- All reported cases of urothelial carcinoma were invasive.
- Despite radical surgical intervention, all patients succumbed to metastatic disease.
Implications:
- Pelvic radiotherapy may increase the risk of developing secondary urothelial carcinomas.
- Urothelial carcinoma following pelvic irradiation appears to be an aggressive malignancy with poor prognosis.
- Long-term surveillance for urothelial malignancies should be considered in patients with a history of pelvic irradiation for gynecologic cancers.