Primary transitional cell carcinoma of the prostate: a male disease with dismal prognosis despite cisplatin-based systemic chemotherapy

Abstract Background: Primary urothelial carcinoma of the prostate is an infrequent male malignancy with a dismal prognosis, that originates in the periurethral prostatic gland. This neoplasia is considered, in general terms, to be chemosensitive but prospective trials regarding therapy and prognosis are lacking, due to the infrequent nature of this entity. This paper is a case series regarding the accumulated experience in our institution with the use of cisplatin-based chemotherapeutic regimens in these patients. Methods: The clinico-pathological findings of a series of 12 patients with primary urothelial carcinoma of the prostate diagnosed and treated over a 10 year period are reviewed, with an emphasis on therapy and evolution. Results: No patient in the series reached long-term survival. Mean time to death was 24.1 months (range 5–48 months). The combination of local treatment plus cisplatin-based systemic chemotherapy did not achieve satisfactory results. However, patients treated with radical surger...