Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers and, together with prostate carcinoma, accounts for the majority of the malignancies of the genitourinary tract. Since prognosis ameliorates with early detection, it will be beneficial to have a repertoire of diagnostic markers that could complement the current diagnosis protocols. Recently, cell-secreted extracellular vesicles have received great interest as a source of low invasive disease biomarkers because they are found in many body fluids, including urine. The current work describes a pilot study to generate an array-based catalogue of mRNA associated to urinary vesicles, and also a comparison with samples obtained from bladder cancer patients. After an analysis of presence/absence of transcripts in bladder cancer EVs, a list of genes was selected for further validation using PCR technique. We found four genes differentially expressed in cancer samples. LASS2 and GALNT1 were present in cancer patients, while ARHGEF39 and FOXO3 were found only in non-cancer urinary vesicles. Previous studies have pointed to the involvement of those genes in tumour progression and metastasis.

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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.

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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.