Lichen Sclerosus Accompanied by Urethral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Retrospective Study From a Urethral Referral Center

Abstract

To evaluate the characteristics of lichen sclerosus (LS) accompanied by urethral squamous cell carcinoma (USCC) and to raise urologists’ awareness about the early management of LS, a retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical features, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of 18 male genital LS accompanied by USCC patients who were referred to Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital between June 2000 and August 2014. All of the patients had a long-term history of LS, urethral strictures, and urethral dilatation. Seven patients are with distal (glanular or penile) USCC, 10 patients with proximal USCC, and one with entire USCC. The most common presentation, except for LS and urethral strictures, was periurethral abscess, followed by extraurethral mass, pelvic pain, urethrocutaneous fistula, hematuria, and bloody urethral discharge. All had primary surgical excision that was adapted to tumor location and extension. All of the USCC were positive for P53 and Ki-67. P16 was positive in four cases of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated USCC and negative in 14 cases of HPV-independent USCC. Patients with distal USCC had a significant longer survival time than proximal USCC ( p < .05). LS should be treated early to prevent the disease progression. LS probably has some associations with USCC. Distal USCC has a relatively better prognosis than proximal USCC.