title: Urachal tumour: case report of a poorly understood carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Urachal carcinoma is an uncommon neoplasm associated with poor prognosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 45-year-old man was admitted with complaints of abdominal pain and pollakisuria. A soft mass was palpable under his navel. TC-scan revealed a 11 x 6 cm tumor, which was composed of a cystic lesion arising from the urachus and a solid mass component at the urinary bladder dome. The tumor was removed surgically. Histological examination detected poor-differentiated adenocarcinoma, which had invaded the urinary bladder. The patient has been followed up without recurrence for 6 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The urachus is the embryological remnant of urogenital sinus and allantois. Involution usually happens before birth and urachus is present as a median umbilical ligament. The pathogenesis of urachal tumours is not fully understood. Surgery is the treatment of choice and role of adjuvant treatment is not clearly understood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emato-Oncology, AOU San Martino Hospital, Genoa, Italy. stefanoscabini@libero.it
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Scabini
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rimini
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Romairone
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scordamaglia
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Vallarino
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Giasotto
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferro
authors.forename: Valter
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ferrando
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003558:Cystoscopy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D014497:Urachus / Q000196:embryology / Q000473:pathology*; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D015609:Organotechnetium Compounds