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.