Urethral metastasis of lung carcinoma with germinative cell features

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: We present the case of a patient with urethral metastasis of a lung carcinoma with germinative cell features. CASE REPORT: A White, 57-year old man underwent urologic assessment due to gross hematuria. Patient was being treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy during the past 3 months due to primary carcinoma of the lung with brain metastasis. Urethrocistoscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance imaging revealed a stenosing mass invading the bulbomembranous urethra. No other tumor was found. Biopsy specimens, obtained from the lung, brain and urethra tumors, revealed the same neoplasia, with definitive diagnosis being undifferentiated giant cell carcinoma of the lung with germinative features. Considering his clinical condition and poor prognosis, a decision was made to treat the patient only clinically. Clinical conditions deteriorated and the patient evolved to death within 3 months. COMMENTS: As far as we were able to access, urethral metastasis from lung carcinoma had never been described in the indexed literature. Due to the extremely limited experience with these tumors, there is not a defined treatment and the prognosis remains quite poor.

Keywords

• urethra
• metastasis
• lung cancer
• germ cell cancers