Clinical Characteristics and Difficulties in the Management of Cancer of the Penis

Abstract

Introduction: Penile cancer is a rare primary malignancy that occurs in patients in their 60s and 70s. The aim of the study was to describe the anatomical aspects of penile cancer and to report the difficulties of its management. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study of patients with penile tumors from January 2007 to December 2019. Patients of sexual age with an ulcerated lesion of the penis, who came to our department and whose clinical and paraclinical workup led to the diagnosis of penile cancer, were included. The variables studied were clinical, paraclinical and therapeutic. Results: In 12 years, we diagnosed and managed 8 patients with penile cancer, an incidence of 0.7 per year. The reason for consultation was the chronic ulcerating wound of the penis with a “cauliflower” aspect. The first medical consultation was late (n = 8) after a long latency period lost to traditional healers. The lesion was located in the glans penis (n = 6) and/or in the corpus cavernosum (n = 2). Histological analysis of the cores concluded to a squamous cell carcinoma. Patients were classified as T2N+M+ (n = 3) and T2N0M0 (n = 5). One patient had accepted partial amputation of the penis. Conclusion: Penile cancer is a rare tumor. Partial amputation of the penis is the only alternative in our practice context, an alternative often refuted.