RETRACTED ARTICLE: Urachal tumour: case report of a poorly understood carcinoma
Authors: Carlo Ferro
Luigi Vallarino
Renato Scordamaglia
Valter Ferrando
Edoardo Rimini
Emanuele Romairone
Stefano Scabini
Veronica Giasotto
Journal: World Journal of Surgical Oncology (2009)
Discipline: CLINICAL MEDICINE
Keywords: Urachal carcinoma; prognosis; abdominal pain; pollakisuria; TC-scan
Affiliations: Department of Emato-Oncology, AOU San Martino Hospital, Genoa, Italy. 

Abstract:  Background: Urachal carcinoma is an uncommon neoplasm associated with poor prognosis. Case presentation: 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. Conclusion: 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. 

Retracted: Yes

PubPeer comments:
 This paper is part of a set of 9 papers. According to the authors, all papers are related to the same protocol approved under the number 0023 2013 SG CNE by the National Ethics Committee of Gabon. Some of the authors are mentioned in the 9 papers. This protocol seems to cover 2 types of different objectives: -t3 papers describe a study on malaria in children. -t9 papers describe studies dedicated to characterize different new bacteria. **Study on malaria in children:** - 3 papers describe a study in hundreds of febrile and afebriles children. -tBlood samples are taken. -tThe study is performed between 2013 and 2014. **Studies to characterize different new bacteria:** 6 papers describe different protocols done on different participants. -tStools samples have been taken. No blood samples. -t4 papers describe a protocol performed on 1 child only. This is a different child for each paper. All samples have been taken on January 2015. -t1 paper describes a protocol performed on 1 adult only on January 2015 -t1 paper describes a protocol performed on 3 children in Gabon and Senegal in 2016. Can the authors explain how a unique protocol cover 2 different types of studies with 2 objectives so different? -tStudy designs are very different. -tRecruitment periods are different. -tTypes of participants are different -tTypes of sample are different, etcu2026 It seems pretty unusual that a same protocol cover -tblood samples in children to study malaria in 2013. -tand also a stool sample in 1 adult only, 2 years after. Can the authors explain the scope of the protocol Nu00b00023 2013 SG CNE and the approval process by the National Ethics Committee of Gabon for this 2 different type of design ? **Malaria in children u2013 Blood samples (2013-2014)** 1.t[Emerging infectious diseases - Possible role of Rickettsia felis in acute febrile illness among children in Gabon] 2.t[Malaria journal - Malaria in urban, semi-urban and rural areas of southern of Gabon: comparison of the Pfmdr 1 and Pfcrt genotypes from symptomatic children] 3.t[The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene - Co-circulation of Plasmodium and bacterial DNAs in blood of febrile and afebrile children from urban and rural areas in Gabon] **Description of new bacteria u2013 Stool samples in children (or 1 adult)** 4.t[Current microbiology - Description of Gabonibacter massiliensis gen. nov., sp. nov., a new member of the family porphyromonadaceae isolated from the human gut microbiota] 5.t[New Microbes and New Infections - Taxonogenomics description of Bacillus dakarensis sp. nov., Bacillus sinesaloumensis sp. nov. and Bacillus massiliogabonensis sp. nov., three new species isolated from human stools] 6.t[New microbes and new infections - Noncontiguous finished genome sequence and description of Gabonia massiliensis gen. nov., sp. nov.] 7.t[New microbes and new infections - u201cIntestinimonas gabonensisu201d sp. nov., a new bacterium detected from a Gabonese stool specimen] 8.t[New microbes and new infections - Noncontiguous finished genome sequence and description of Kallipyga gabonensis sp. nov.] 9.t[New microbes and new infections - Discovery of a new species within Bacillus genus in a stool sample from Gabon:u201cBacillus massiliogabonensisu201d sp. nov.] ,