[Carcinoma of the penis: our experience in 24 cases and review of the literature].

Squamous cell carcinoma of the penis has a very scant incidence in our setting and evolves slowly. From 1978 to 1991, 24 cases of penile carcinoma had been treated and followed at our service. The results achieved with partial amputation of the penis have been highly satisfactory for stages T1 and T2, which was combined with postoperative radiotherapy for the latter tumor stage. Since carcinoma of the penis generally presents with infection, if lymphadenectomy is performed, it has to be performed after the amputation. The peculiar features of this disease, patient characteristics and the diversity of the therapeutical approaches make penile carcinoma a lesion whose treatment is controversial and, in many cases, difficult to follow.