What are the other Names for this Condition? (Also known as/Synonyms)

• Carcinoma of the Littre Glands
• Urethral Littre Gland Carcinoma

What is Littre Gland Carcinoma of the Urethra? (Definition/Background Information)

• Littre Gland Carcinoma of the Urethra is a very rare malignant tumor that arises from the urethral glands of Littre located in the male (penile) urethra
• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is classified as a urethral accessory gland carcinoma

Incidence:

• Men in the 30 and 66 years’ age group are usually affected
• All races and ethnic groups are at risk

Risk factors and cause: Unknown

Signs and symptoms:

• Hematuria or the presence of blood in urine
• Mucus discharge from the urethra
• Hematospermia or the presence of blood in semen
• Presence of a palpable mass

Diagnosis: Since the tumor is extremely rare, Littre Gland Carcinoma of the Urethra diagnosis is one of exclusion. In many cases, clinicopathologic and radiological correlation is necessary.

• Diagnosis is made through biopsy of the tumor and examination under the microscope by a pathologist
• Special studies may be performed on a case-by-case basis to arrive at a definitive diagnosis
• The differential diagnosis of tumors with glandular differentiation include:
  • Adenocarcinoma of the bladder and prostate
  • Adenocarcinoma with urethral extension
  • Metastatic adenocarcinoma arising from the colon

Treatment:

• The staging of this tumor is performed according to AJCC classification
• Surgical resection of the tumor is known to result in a cure
• No definitive case reports of a distant metastasis are tumor recurrences after complete surgical resection have been documented so far

Prevention: Presently, it is not possible to prevent the formation of this tumor.

Prognosis:

• ·ince the tumor is exceedingly rare, the biologic behavior and prognosis of individuals with this tumor is not well-characterized
• In a vast majority of cases, the prognosis is based on the stage of the tumor. Generally, lower stage tumors have better prognosis than higher stage tumors