Carcinoma of the male urethra.

Between February 1965 and November 1981 we treated 10 men with transitional or squamous cell carcinoma of the urethra. Treatment consisted of radiation therapy alone in 5 patients, operation alone in 4 and a combination of irradiation plus operation in 1. Radiation therapy produced local-regional control in 4 of the 5 patients with carcinoma of the distal or prostatic urethra, and 3 were completely free of disease at 5 years. The only complication of irradiation was urethral stricture in 3 patients, which was treated successfully by periodic urethral dilation. None of the patients treated by an operation alone or with irradiation achieved local-regional control.