Does spread always equal metastasis?

Hi,

It just makes you wonder why they did not remove the urethra last year along with the bladder-it's quite common and only neobladder recipients retain the natural urethra...and they must qualify to strict criteria. Still, it can happen that someone gets urethral recurrence.

I'm not a medical professional, but I would think that this would qualify as a regional recurrence, not distant metastases, and thus be more treatable. That's the norm with many cancers, esp. bladder cancer, which recurs very frequently in the bladder itself as well as the upper tract (kidney or ureter), and these are not considered as grim as distant mets.

I guess there will be more chemo in store, unless they feel it's treatable with surgery.

Please keep us posted on how things go. I wish you and your father all the best,
Wendy

what kind of diversion did he get ?........Pat

My dad was diagnosed about 14 months ago with bladder cancer. He underwent a cycstectomy, and, because there were a few cancer cells in the fatty tissue surrounding the bladder, a few rounds of chemo.

He had his 1 year scan a few weeks ago and all was clear. Then, because he had a lump near the outside of his penis, they did a scope and removed that and a mass they found in his urethra, which was transitional cell carcinoma (the same type of cancer in his bladder).

I am trying to decide how worried to be. I know when cancer metastasizes it is bad, but since his lymph nodes and everything are clear I'm wondering whether the cancer just traveled downstream from his bladder, instead of entering the bloodstream, which seems like it would carry a better prognosis.

We will be talking to the oncologist soon, but I wouldn't mind some input before that. Thanks!