Recurrent urethral tumor with neuroendocrine differentiation in a female patient after radical cystectomy for bladder cancer.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Urethral recurrence after radical cystectomy in female patients with bladder cancer is relatively uncommon. Recurrent bladder tumors with neuroendocrine differentiation are extremely rare. Case presentation A 71-year-old female patient who underwent radical cystectomy for bladder cancer presented with vaginal bleeding 19 months postoperatively. She was diagnosed with bladder cancer urethral recurrence. Urethral tumor en-bloc resection with the anterior vaginal wall was performed by combining abdominal and vaginal approaches. Pathological examination revealed a recurrent tumor of urothelial bladder cancer containing small-cell carcinoma components. Conclusion: This case is the first report of a recurrent tumor with small-cell carcinoma in the female urethra after radical cystectomy for pure urothelial carcinoma.