Penile amputation / penectomy with inguinal lymph node dissection for penile cancers
Penile cancer is rare. It occurs on the skin of the penis or within the penis, usually the glans (head of the penis) and occasionally in the shaft of the penis. It most commonly affects men over the age of 40.
Treatment for penile cancer depends on the size of the affected area, the depth of invasion of the cancer (how deep it has penetrated into the penis, and the stage of the disease (how far it has spread through the lymphatic and blood stream.
In cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS), where only the superficial skin cells of the penis are affected, treatment usually involves either using topical immunotherapy or chemotherapy creams, cryotherapy, having laser surgery to remove the affected area of skin, or complete removal of the skin (epithelium) of the glans (“known as glans resurfacing“) followed by skin grafting.
If the foreskin alone is involved, then circumcision should be adequate.
If the depth of the cancer is deeper into the penis, then wide excision, glansectomy (removal of part or whole of the head of the penis), penis removal (penectomy), or removal of part of the penis (partial penectomy) will be required.
Based on the extent of depth of the cancer involving the penis and the grade of the tumor, inguinal lymph node dissection may be necessary to remove the lymph nodes that may be affected by the cancer.
The main treatments for later-stage penile cancer are surgery, radiotherapy or chemotherapy.
The remaining penis (if present) and urethra may be reconstructed for functional and cosmetic purposes.
Glansectomy
Partial penectomy
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