DaPeCa-4: outcome in penile cancer patients with N3 disease due to extra nodal extension treated with surgery and chemo-irradiation

Abstract

Objective: The role of pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND) is still debated in patients with N3 stage penile cancer. In Denmark this subgroup of patients is in general managed with an inguinal lymphadenectomy (ILND) and adjuvant chemoradiation and PLND is not offered as a standard. The objective of this study was to report treatment outcomes of this regimen and compare this with existing literature.

Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed records of patients with pT1-T4, N3, M0 penile cancer diagnosed between 1st January 2010 and 31th December 2014 in Denmark and treated with curative intend.

Results: 21 patients were identified with a median follow up of 74 months (CI 54–94). Management of the penile lesion was local resection in 5 (23.8%), partial penectomy in 10 (47.6%), and total penectomy in 6 (28.6%) of patients. Regarding the most extensive lymph node (LN) surgery: 4 patients (23,8%) went directly to oncological treatment from sentinel node biopsy with no further LN dissection, 6 patients (28.6%) were treated with unilateral ILND, 10 patients (47.6%) with bilateral ILND and a single patient (4.8%) was treated with ILND and PLND. In the adjuvant setting patients were treated with external beam therapy of involved regions and cisplatin-based chemotherapy. Median overall survival was 84 months (CI 0–176). The 5-year probability of surviving penile cancer was 57.1% (CI 36.0–78.3).

Conclusion: Treatment with surgery and chemo-irradiation in this national cohort does not show inferior survival outcomes compared to historical cohorts.

Keywords:

• Penile cancer
• lymph node dissection
• adjuvant therapy
• overall survival
• prognosis

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).