What is urethral melanoma?
Most malignant melanomas of the female urethra are located at the meatus and/or in the distal urethra. The common presentations include bleeding, discharge, voiding dysfunction and the presence of tumor mass. Survival depends on the stage, location and size of the neoplasm at the time of diagnosis.
Can a Caruncle be removed?
A urethral caruncle does not always cause problems and does not necessarily need to be removed. It can sometimes cause bleeding or irritation. Rarely, it causes difficulty passing urine. If it is bothersome, it can be treated.
How do you heal a Caruncle?
Most urethral caruncles can be treated conservatively with warm sitz baths and vaginal estrogen replacement. Topical anti-inflammatory drugs may also be useful.
Can a Caruncle be cancerous?
Urethral caruncle is a common disease, and most cases are treated conservatively. However, malignant carcinoma arising from the urethral caruncle or urethral carcinoma resembling a caruncle has only rarely been reported.
What does urethral melanoma look like?
These signs and symptoms include a urethral mass, nonspecific perineal pain, dysuria, incontinence, haematuria or local bleeding, and pruritus. The melanoma is usually pigmented and varies in colour from black to blue or light brownish; the lesions are firm, nodular, and often ulcerated.
Is urethral Caruncle serious?
Often there are no symptoms but sometimes they are painful. There may be dysuria and occasionally they may bleed. Urethral caruncles do not appear to have a detrimental effect on micturition or continence. Urethral caruncles are an unusual cause of postmenopausal bleeding.
What does a urethral Caruncle feel like?
[1] Urethral caruncles in 32% of cases are asymptomatic. When present, the most common symptoms are dysuria, pain or discomfort, dyspareunia, and rarely bleeding. The mass may be large and bleeds easily.
Is a urethral caruncle cancerous?
A urethral caruncle is the most common benign tumor that occurs in the urethra in postmenopausal women. Females who are premenopausal can also develop a urethral caruncle, but this is rare . It’s even rarer for men to develop a urethral caruncle. There’s only ever been one reported case in the medical literature.
What color is a urethral Caruncle?
Urethral caruncles are usually pink or red. If a blood clot has formed, they may turn purple or black. These growths are usually small, growing up to 1 centimeter (cm) in diameter.
What does it mean if my Caruncle is swollen?
Caruncle swelling is common in patients with active GO[1]. Acute nonspecific inflammation induces infiltration of hydrophilic hyaluronic acid and cellular debris into the caruncular tissue, which can be used to assess disease activity[1]–[2].
What happens when the caruncle is swollen?
The swollen caruncle may impair fluid flow from the lacrimal gland to the punctum, triggering epiphora, although the nasolacrimal system is normal[3]–[4].