[Clinical course of epidermoid carcinoma of the penis in our series].

OBJECTIVES

To study the evolution of 49 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the penis.

METHODS

49 patients who underwent surgery for squamous cell carcinoma of the penis (30 partial penile amputations, 11 total amputations and 7 circumcisions). 27 inguinal lymphadenectomies, superficial, profound and ilio-obturator (2 cases), were performed due to persistent lymph nodes after penile amputation despite of antibiotic treatment for 4 weeks, or to high grade primary tumour. 13 patients were found to have lymph node metastases after treatment, receiving posterior adjuvant treatment with radiotherapy, chemotherapy or a combination of them. Patients were followed in relation to stage, cell differentiation degree, and presence or absence of positive lymph nodes and distant metastases.

RESULTS

There were 5 Ta stage tumours, 26 T1(63.2%), 16 T2 (32.6%), and 2 T3 (4.08%). Regarding cytological degree 81% were GI, 16% G II, and 2% G III. Lymph node metastasis were detected in 13 patients (26.53%) after lymph node dissection. 6 patients died from tumour dissemination, 2 of them were T2G2, one T2G1, and three T1G2; two additional patients died from causes different from the tumour, all of them being N+ at the time of diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Penile squamous cell carcinoma is an aggressive tumour the evolution of which mainly depends on the local-regional stage at the time of diagnosis and cell differentiation; these factors will condition lymphadenectomy versus observation.