Treatment approaches for urachal cancer: Use of immunotherapy and targeted therapies

Abstract

Urachal cancer is a rare genitourinary malignancy that arises from the embryologic remnant of the urachus. The malignancy is considered to be aggressive, with no clear consensus on appropriate management for advanced disease. Although traditionally considered to be related to bladder cancer given its embryologic origin, several next generation sequencing studies have revealed the genomic profile of this genitourinary malignancy most closely resembles colorectal cancer. Moreover, these studies have identified potentially actionable mutations including EGFR, KRAS and MET. In addition, recent data suggests that immunotherapy may benefit some patients with advanced urachal cancer. Nonetheless, continued research is warranted to better understand how to treat this rare genitourinary cancer.