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Chemotherapy
Source: Urethral Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Health Professional Version, National Cancer Institute.
Source updated: July 19, 2024 · Captured 2026-09-09.
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Context: Treatment Option Overview for Urethral Cancer
The literature on chemotherapy for urethral carcinoma is anecdotal in nature and restricted to retrospective, single-center case series or case reports.[5][Level of evidence C3] A wide variety of agents used alone or in combination have been reported over the years, and their use has largely been extrapolated from experience with other urinary tract tumors.
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For squamous cell cancers, agents that have been used in penile cancer or anal carcinoma include the following:[3,5]
Cisplatin.
Fluorouracil.
Bleomycin.
Methotrexate.
Irinotecan.
Gemcitabine.
Paclitaxel.
Docetaxel.
Mitomycin.
Chemotherapy for transitional cell urethral tumors is extrapolated from experience with transitional cell bladder tumors and, therefore, usually contains the following:[1,4-7]
Methotrexate, vinblastine, doxorubicin, and cisplatin.
Paclitaxel.
Carboplatin.
Ifosfamide, with occasional complete responses.
Chemotherapy has been used alone for metastatic disease or in combination with radiation therapy and/or surgery for locally advanced urethral cancer. It may be used in the neoadjuvant setting with radiation therapy in an attempt to increase the resectability rate or to preserve organs.[3] However, the impact of any of these regimens on survival is not known for any stage or setting.
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