Most patients with partial intestinal obstruction can be managed without surgical intervention. Here, we report the case of a patient who presented with partial intestinal obstruction. He had been diagnosed with high‑grade urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC) 1.5 years previously, for which the surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy had been successfully performed. He showed a poor response to medical treatment for the partial intestinal obstruction, and surgery provided only a short‑term benefit. Such cases of intractable small‑bowel obstruction are infrequent and pose a challenge to clinicians. Although very rare, the possibility of UCC metastasis to the gastrointestinal tract should be considered in the differential diagnosis of refractory intestinal obstruction and history of UCC.