Introduction: Primary urachal cancer (UrCa) is rare, with an estimated incidence of 0.2% -0.5% of all bladder tumors. Although the preferred treatment is surgical, there is no consensus on the best approach. We present our experience managing 14 cases of primary UrCa. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical records of a high-volume bladder cancer center in the UK to identify patients diagnosed with UrCa between May 2013 and June 2022. Results: 9 males and 6 females, aged between 30 and 85 years, were included. The diagnosis was most commonly made via flexible cystoscopy and CT for haematuria. 3 patients had metastasis at presentation, and while radiologically no patients showed positive lymph nodes, 2 patients were found to have positive lymph nodes on histopathology. 13 patients underwent partial cystectomy, with 1 undergoing radical cystoprostatectomy. 8 patients underwent concurrent umbilectomy and/or lymphadenectomy. The most common histological subtype was mucinous adenocarcinoma. 2 patients experienced local recurrence and underwent transurethral resection, while 6 patients experienced metastasis. Metastasis-free survival rate was 74.1% and 55.6% at 12 and 24 months, respectively. Umbilectomy and lymphadenectomy did not decrease rates of positive surgical margin, local recurrence, metastasis, or mortality. Conclusions: UrCa is a rare and aggressive malignancy that can occur at any age and may be advanced upon presentation. Bladder-sparing surgery is becoming more prevalent, with chemotherapy being reserved for recurrence or metastasis. In our series, routine umbilectomy and lymphadenectomy did not improve oncologic outcomes. However, lymphadenectomy may have a role in cancer staging.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.