Urethral Disorders—Cancer

Also called: Carcinoma, Malignancy, Neoplasms, Tumor

Cancer begins in your cells, which are the building blocks of your body. Normally, your body forms new cells as you need them, replacing old cells that die. Sometimes this process goes wrong. New cells grow even when you don’t need them, and old cells don’t die when they should. These extra cells can form a mass called a tumor. Tumors can be benign or malignant. Benign tumors aren’t cancer while malignant ones are. Cells from malignant tumors can invade nearby tissues. They can also break away and spread to other parts of the body.

Cancer is not just one disease but many diseases. There are more than 100 different types of cancer. Most cancers are named for where they start. For example, lung cancer starts in the lung, and breast cancer starts in the breast. The spread of cancer from one part of the body to another is called metastasis. Symptoms and treatment depend on the cancer type and how advanced it is. Most treatment plans may include surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy. Some may involve hormone therapy, immunotherapy or other types of biologic therapy, or stem cell transplantation.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

• Cancer (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Cancer and lymph nodes (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Cancer treatment — early menopause (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Cancer treatment: preventing infection (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Cancer treatments (Medical Encyclopedia)
• How to research cancer (Medical Encyclopedia)
• How to tell your child that you have cancer (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Hyperthermia for treating cancer (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Laser therapy for cancer (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Photodynamic therapy for cancer (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Targeted therapies for cancer (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Understanding your cancer prognosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Your cancer care team (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Your cancer diagnosis: Do you need a second opinion? (Medical Encyclopedia)

The urethra is the tube that allows urine to pass out of the body. In men, it’s a long tube that runs through the penis. It also carries semen in men. In women, it’s short and is just above the vagina. Urethral problems may happen due to aging, illness, or injury. They include

• Urethral cancer – a rare cancer that happens more often in men
• Urethral stricture – a narrowing of the opening of the urethra
• Urethritis – inflammation of the urethra, sometimes caused by infection

Urethral problems may cause pain or difficulty passing urine. You may also have bleeding or discharge from the urethra.

Doctors diagnose urethral problems using different tests. These include urine tests, x-rays and an examination of the urethra with a scope called a cystoscope. Treatment depends on the cause of the problem. It may include medicines and, in severe cases, surgery.

• Chlamydial infections – male (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Epispadias (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Meatal stenosis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Self catheterization – female (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Self catheterization – male (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Traumatic injury of the bladder and urethra (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Urethral discharge culture (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Urethral stricture (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Urethritis (Medical Encyclopedia)
• Urinary Retention – NIH (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)