Penile cancer: a case series in two tertiary care teaching hospitals with review of literature

Abstract

Introduction Carcinoma of penis is a very rare disease most commonly affecting elderly men. This rare disease can have terrible and horrifying consequences on the social and emotional life of patients as well as their families. The objective of our case series is to describe the sociodemographic and clinical features, the standard investigations and treatment protocols and follow up of patients who presented to our hospitals. Methodology This is a prospective study of fourteen patients admitted in two tertiary care teaching institutions of Kolkata between January 2013 to December 2015 with a histopathological diagnosis of penile cancer. Results and discussion Age of patients varied between 45 to 82 years. Duration of disease varied between 3-13 months. Nine patients had palpable inguinal lymphadenopathy and 2 patients had liver metastases. Eight patients underwent partial amputation of penis and 4 patients underwent total amputation. Conclusion Penile cancer is a rare disease with devastating consequences. Patients often present late and the primary surgical treatment is often disfiguring. Aggressive surgical treatment of the primary disease and groin remains the cornerstone in the management of high-risk cases.