Malignancies of the Genitourinary Tract

Malignancies originating from the urogenital tract account for about 20% of all solid neoplasias. The various tumor types, including carcinoma of the prostate, transitional cell carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, and testicular germ cell tumors, differ widely in terms of biological features, in­ cidence and appearance, diagnostic work-up and manage­ ment. It is not surprising that this complexity of urologic oncology with its related problems has increasingly attracted both experimental investigators and clinical experts. Only time will tell whether the achievements that today are con­ sidered· as progress will turn out to be significant contribu­ tions towards the ultimate goal: the cure of the patients' life-threatening diseases with little or no side effects. How­ ever, many innovations and improvements have already taken place in the field of urologic oncology within recent years. The high pace of innovative development requires continuous, thorough, and critical updating of our kowledge so that persisting deficits can be defined: the basic require­ ment for posing new scientific questions. The following examples may serve to illustrate the recent developments and the resulting new problems and questions: Recently, it has become evident that carcinoma of the prostate must be detected earlier to enable us to cure more of the affected patients in the future than currently.