Urethral-sparing surgical management of primary urethral adenocarcinoma in a female patient with successful oncological outcome.
Primary urethral adenocarcinoma in females is extremely rare, comprising less than 1% of female genitourinary cancers. Due to its rarity, treatment guidelines are unclear, and most cases present at advanced stages with a poor prognosis. Our case demonstrates the potential for urethra-sparing surgery as an effective treatment option in selected patients. A woman in her late 60s presented with a 2 cm urethral mass and haematuria. MRI revealed a lesion extending toward the vaginal introitus without invasion. She underwent wide local excision, and histopathology confirmed moderately differentiated urethral adenocarcinoma with immunohistochemical positivity for CDX-2, E-cadherin and cytokeratins 7 and 20. Given the complete resection, age and comorbidities, a multidisciplinary team recommended surveillance instead of radical surgery. At 12 months postoperatively, the patient remains recurrence-free and asymptomatic. Our case demonstrates that urethra-sparing surgery is a viable option in select patients. Individualised treatment approaches should be taken that balance oncological control with quality-of-life preservation.