Urethral diverticular carcinoma: an overview of current trends in diagnosis and management.

AIMS

To review the management of female urethral diverticular tumours, and rationalize treatment protocols.

METHODS

A literature search through Medline, Psychoinfo, EMBASE and the Cochrane library from 1951 was performed for all reports and series of urethral diverticular tumours.

RESULTS

A total of one male patient and 75 female patients were reported, with data on demographics, presentation, diagnosis, treatment modalities, recurrence rates and mortality. There is considerable variation in the method of reporting outcomes, and heterogeneity in treatment methods.

CONCLUSION

There appears to be no current consensus in the management of these rare tumours. There is an urgent need to establish an international registry of rare tumours to help formulate guidelines on management of such tumours. We propose a management algorithm based on the evidence gathered from review of the published literature.