Overview
Penile cancer is a rare but increasingly common malignancy with a significant impact on quality of life. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the primary risk factor, and assessment of HPV status is recommended in pathology reports 1. The main goals of treatment are complete tumor eradication and optimal organ preservation while preventing oncological compromise 1.Diagnosis
Pathology reports should include assessment of HPV status 1.
For patients with a high-risk (≥pT1b) tumor and clinically negative lymph nodes (cN0), surgical lymph node staging with sentinel lymph node biopsy is recommended 1.Management
The primary aim of treatment is complete tumor eradication, balanced with organ preservation 1.
Early detection and treatment of lymph node metastasis are critical for survival 1.
Inguinal lymph node dissection is the standard treatment for node-positive disease 1.
Multimodal treatment is indicated for patients with advanced disease 1.Key Recommendations
Surgical lymph node staging with sentinel node biopsy is recommended for patients with a high-risk (≥pT1b) tumor with cN0 status 1. (Evidence: Strong)
Inguinal lymph node dissection remains the standard for node-positive disease 1. (Evidence: Strong)
Multimodal treatment is needed in patients with advanced penile cancer 1. (Evidence: Strong)References
1 Brouwer OR, Albersen M, Parnham A, Protzel C, Pettaway CA, Ayres B et al.. European Association of Urology-American Society of Clinical Oncology Collaborative Guideline on Penile Cancer: 2023 Update. European urology 2023. link