Penile metastases of rectal adenocarcinoma.

INTRODUCTION: Penile metastases are very rare and arise most frequently from genitourinary cancers. Penile metastases from rectal adenocarcinoma are less common and only 50 or so cases have been reported. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a 43-year-old man with penile metastases from a rectal adenocarcinoma. Two years before admittance to our department, abdomino-perineal resection of the rectum (Miles operation) was performed for a Dukes B (T3N0M0) rectal adenocarcinoma; the surgical resection margins wee negative. Adjuvant chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment were administered. One year after initial management, excision of a local recurrence was performed followed by further chemotherapy. The patient subsequently noticed lesions of the penis measuring up to 1.2 cm in diameter. Biopsy revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma. Computed tomography showed normal structure of penis with subcutaneous nodular thickening. Soon thereafter, the entire shaft of the penis becomes indurated and the patient developed urinary obstruction. A suprapubic cystostomy was performed. The patient died within 6 months. DISCUSSION: Penile metastases arise most frequently from genitourinary cancers, primarily from the bladder and the prostate gland. Metastasis to the penis from a rectal adenocarcinoma occurs much less commonly. Other reported primary origins of penile metastases include malignancies of the lung, nasopharynx and melanoma. The major symptoms are penile nodular mass, malignant priapism, penile pain and tenderness, difficulty in micturition, and urinary retention. Possible routes of metastasis are arterial, retrograde venous spread, retrograde lymphatic spread, but direct tumor infiltration/extension is also possible. Penile metastases from rectal adenocarcinoma usually occur within 2 years after diagnosis of the primary tumor. The prognosis is very poor regardless of treatment modality. Treatment is more often palliative than curative. Survival usually varies from 7 months to 2 years. Long-term survival (9 years) has been seen after aggressive surgical treatment (penile amputation) with best results for patients when penile metastasis was the only evident region of recurrence. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of metastasis to the penis is very poor; the best results have been achieved with surgery but only for lesions where metastasis is limited to the penis.

Penile injury and effect on male sexual function.

Penile injury is common as an emergency and should be accurately diagnosed and treated. We analysed 22 patients with penile injury admitted to the emergency unit of Dubrava University Hospital during a 4-year period. According to the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma five-grade classification of penile injuries, there were 14 grade I, 6 grade II and 2 grade III cases. Diagnosis was mainly based on clinical and ultrasonography findings, and in some cases on cavernosography. Nineteen patients underwent immediate surgery and three patients received conservative therapy. On outpatient follow up, sexual function was assessed by use of the 5-item International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) test at 3 and 12 months of injury. At 3-month follow up, moderate, mild and no erectile dysfunction was recorded in 5, 6 and 11 patients respectively (mean IIEF-5: 19.62). At 12-month follow up, mild erectile dysfunction was found in only one patient (IIEF-5: 20), whereas all other patients were free from erectile dysfunction (mean IIEF-5: 23.75). The 12-month follow up yielded a higher statistical difference (P < 0.001) when compared with 3-month follow up. Study results indicated that appropriate treatment of penile injuries resulted in complete recovery of sexual function within 12 months.