In the context of a misleading diagnosis of paraurethral abscess, we report a case of unrecognized metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the male urethra that mimicked a picture of paravertebral abscess with accompanying massive caval vein thrombosis. Fine needle aspiration cytology of both paravertebral abscess and urethral nodule allowed the diagnosis. This report calls the attention of clinicians to think of a malignant process in case of a paravertebral abscess. Fine needle aspiration cytology once more proves a useful tool in the diagnosis of unsuspected malignancies.

Kaposi’s sarcoma of the penis is an initial manifestation of AIDS and the practising urologist should be aware of this form of presentation. We report 2 young intravenous drug abusers with this tumor in the male genitourinary system. The clinical course is unfavorable; therefore prompt diagnosis and management, based on the early recognition of the lesion, must be achieved.

A 61-year-old man presented with macroscopic haematuria. Infiltrating transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder was diagnosed after transurethral resection, and he was treated first with three doses of cisplatinum (100 mg/m2 at three week intervals) and then by radical cystectomy. Eleven months later he complained of progressive diplopia, which was found on computed tomography to be caused by a retro-orbital metastatic mass. There was no evidence of a space occupying lesion in the brain or of other metastases. The patient died four weeks later and permission for necropsy was refused. Despite the fact that carcinoma of the urinary bladder rarely metastasis in this way, urologists should be aware that it can happen.