Open AccessA case of metastatic urachal adenocarcinoma treated with several
Author(s) -
Christine Elser,
Joan Sweet,
Sendhil Kumar Cheran,
Masoom A. Haider,
Michael Jewett,
Srikala S. Sridhar
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
canadian urological association journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1920-1214
pISSN - 1911-6470
DOI - 10.5489/cuaj.336
Subject(s) - medicine , umbilicus (mollusc) , cystectomy , urachus , chemotherapy , stage (stratigraphy) , disease , bladder cancer , cancer , oncology , clinical trial , adenocarcinoma , surgery , paleontology , biology
Urachal cancer is a rare form of bladder cancer that arises fromthe urachus, a vestigial musculofibrous band that extends from thedome of the bladder to the umbilicus. Urachal cancer often presentsat an advanced stage and has a dismal prognosis. We presenta case of a young woman with urachal cancer that recurred rapidlypost-partial cystectomy. The patient was treated with up to 6 different chemotherapy regimens, including an oral antiangiogenic drug as part of a clinical trial. Our case illustrates the aggressive nature of this disease, the difficulty in accessing drugs for the treatment of rare cancers and the lack of late stage clinical trials to help guide therapeutic decisions.