Primary urethral cancer is a rare malignancy in men [1-5]. Differences in anatomy and etiology lead to important differences in the clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of urethral cancer in men compared to women.
Information about the natural history and prognosis of urethral cancer in men is derived from small cases series, and recommendations for treatment are based upon general oncologic principles and extrapolation from other diseases.
The diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment of male urethral cancer will be reviewed here. Female urethral cancer is discussed separately. (See “Urethral cancer in women”).
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND RISK FACTORS
Epidemiology — Urethral cancer is a rare malignancy that accounts for less than 1 percent of urologic cancers diagnosed in the United States and elsewhere [6,7]. Urethral cancer is has its peak incidence between the ages of 75 and 84 years and is more common in African Americans than in whites [8].

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