Invasive Penile Carcinoma: A Review

Penile carcinoma - a rare cause of sudden death

Penile carcinoma is an uncommon but potentially mutilating disease with a heterogeneous etiology. We present a case in which a man died due to severe blood loss from an amputated penis. It was initially regarded as a violent death with an external cause. Autopsy found irregular defects with smooth edges in the external genital area and on both sides of the groin, with yellowish-gray callus-like structures and dried blood at the base of where the penis would have been located. Histological examination revealed the presence of squamous cell carcinoma with signs of keratinization. Subsequent investigation, along with information from the autopsy, revealed that the man suffered from penile carcinoma, thus death was attributed to exsanguination from an ulcerated femoral artery in a patient with penile carcinoma.

Imaging of Penile Neoplasm

Penile malignancies are rare, accounting for less than 1% of all male malignancy in the United States. The diagnosis can be very devastating psychologically to patients and often presents a challenge for physicians to accurately diagnose and treat these neoplasms. Clinical examination is known to have certain limitations and cross-sectional imaging techniques are increasingly utilized. Knowledge in imaging characteristics of the normal anatomy of the penis, vascular supply, lymphatic drainage, and pathology of penile malignancy is essential for an accurate staging. In this article, normal anatomy of the penis is briefly discussed and is followed by a review of multiple imaging approaches for characterization of the primary tumor and nodal staging.

Surgical treatment of a rare case of penile squamous cell carcinoma in a 65-year-old man

Penile squamous cell carcinoma has been commonly reported in the past decades. We describe a rare case of a huge squamous cell carcinoma of the penis in a 65-year-old patient with a 4-year history of tumor growth, for which total penectomy, perineal urethrostomy and bilateral inguinal lymphadenectomy were carried out. We suggest that aggressive surgical intervention should be recommended for those with well-differentiated penile carcinoma regardless of the size of the tumor.

Imaging of penile neoplasms

The assessment of penile cancer on the basis of clinical findings alone can often result in inaccurate staging and suboptimal treatment. Imaging of primary penile cancer and metastatic lymphadenopathy can help optimize planning of both primary tumor resection and treatment for lymph node metastases. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is the most accurate imaging modality in the assessment of primary penile cancers, which usually manifest as solitary, ill-defined infiltrating tumors that are hypointense on both T1- and T2-weighted MR images. T2-weighted MR imaging allows delineation of the tumor margin and of any extension into the penile shaft. On gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted images, the tumors enhance to a greater extent than do the corpora cavernosa. In addition, the recently introduced technique known as lymphotrophic nanoparticle-enhanced MR imaging can help identify metastatic lymph node disease. However, further studies will be needed to determine the role of this imaging technique in clinical practice. Computed tomography does not clearly depict the local extension of primary penile cancer; however, it is useful in assessing metastases and postoperative complications.

Penile cancer

Penile cancer, while relatively rare in the western world, remains a disease with severe morbidity and mortality, not to mention significant psychological ramifications. Furthermore, the disease is observed with dramatically increased incidence in other parts of the world. A review of the literature has shown that the overwhelming majority of penile cancers are in situ or invasive squamous cell carcinomas, including a well-differentiated variant, verrucous carcinoma. Important predisposing factors are lack of circumcision, human papillomavirus infections, and penile lichen sclerosus, although other factors have occasionally been reported as well. Prevention, careful monitoring of patients at risk, and early diagnosis are essential to reduce the incidence of penile carcinoma and to provide a definitive cure. Public health measures, such as prophylactic use of circumcision, have proved successful but are controversial. Also, no standard therapeutic guidelines as to the best treatment strategy according to different stages, including efficacy of conservative nonsurgical modalities and indications for lymph nodal dissection, are available so far. It is common opinion that penile cancer is an emerging problem that deserves further investigations, and physicians, especially dermatologists, should be aware of this issue.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE

At the completion of this learning activity, participants should be familiar with penile carcinoma, its risk factors, its clinical and histologic presentation, and the treatments currently available for its management.

Sexual function after partial penectomy for penile cancer

OBJECTIVES

To compare sexual function and satisfaction before and after partial penectomy and to evaluate possible dysfunctions that could modify postoperative sexual functioning.

METHODS

A total of 18 patients underwent a personal interview and answered the International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire to determine erectile function, orgasmic function, sexual desire, intercourse satisfaction, and overall satisfaction with sexual life. Domain scores were computed by summing the scores for individual answers, and the final scores were compared before and after partial penectomy.

RESULTS

The median patient age was 52 years. The medium penile length after partial penectomy was 4 cm in the flaccid state; 55.6% of patients reported erectile function that allowed sexual intercourse. The main reason for not resuming sexual intercourse appeared to be related to feelings of shame owing to the small penis size and the absence of the glans penis found in 50% of sexually abstinent patients. Surgical complications also compromised the resumption of sexual activity after amputation in 33.3% of these patients. However, 66.7% sustained the same frequency and level of sexual desire as before surgery, and 72.2% continued to have ejaculation and orgasm every time they had sexual stimulation or intercourse. Only 33.3% maintained their preoperative sexual intercourse frequency and were satisfied with their sexual relationship with their partners and their overall sex life.

CONCLUSIONS

The preoperative and postoperative scores were statistically different for all domains of sexual function after partial penectomy.