RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To review our series of epidermoid carcinoma of the penis. METHODS: 30 cases of epidermoid carcinoma of the penis are reviewed. The clinical features, tumor stage, grade, treatment and outcome are analyzed. RESULTS: The time to diagnosis ranged from one month to 10 years, mean 10.3 months (1 to 36); therefore the mean diameter of the tumors was significantly greater (1.9 cm) at the time of diagnosis than at the beginning of the lesion. Eighteen patients had tumor superinfection. Twenty-four patients (80%) had low grade carcinoma; 6 had verrucous carcinoma, 6 (16.7%) intermediate and one (3.3%) high grade. Total penectomy with perineal meatus was performed in 5 cases, 23 had a partial penectomy with 2 cm margin and circumcision was done in two cases. Patients with positive lymph nodes at exploration after antibiotic treatment (13 cases) were submitted to lymphadenectomy, which was associated with chemotherapy in 4 patients. The surgical complications were mainly lymphorrhea and edema and infection of the surgical incision after lymphadenectomy. Complications at the site of penile resection were unusual. Only 6 patients have more than 5 years' follow-up (7-14), with only 1 local recurrence. The remaining patients have a mean follow-up of 22 +/- 16 months (6-60). Of these, only one patient had died from penile cancer (previously pT2pN0M0). This patient had lymph node and distant metastases 6 months following penectomy due to invasive local recurrence (pT3pN2pM1). Lymph node recurrence has been detected in three other patients. CONCLUSION: Inguinal lymphadenectomy is clearly of therapeutic value in cancer of the penis and performing it early in infiltrating tumors is likely to improve the outcome in these patients.
