Options for diagnosis and treatment of urachal carcinoma

Abstract

Urachal carcinoma (UrC) is a rare but highly malignant epithelial cancer and commonly found in the urachal remnant which connects the dome of the bladder to the umbilicus via the ligamentum commune. Because of the specificity of the tumor location and its rarity, the diagnosis of UrC is often difficult. Although surgery is the treatment of choice for UrC, it still has a high incidence of local recurrence and distant metastasis and there are few modestly standard chemotherapy regimens for these patients (response rate 30-40%). Thus, the treatment of local recurrence and distant metastasis of UrC following surgery has been a challenge. We review the clinical diagnosis and therapy of UrC and factors related to its prognosis. © 2012 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.