Phallic preserving surgery in patients with invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the penis

Abstract

Purpose: Standard surgical methods to eradicate invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the penis often result in significant deformities. Wide local excision with skin grafting in select cases results in the preservation of normal phallic appearance and function.

Materials and methods: Seven patients with invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the penis were treated with wide excision and resurfaced by 1 of 3 methods, namely 1) a split-thickness graft, 2) a full-thickness graft or 3) shaft skin advancement.

Results: At 1 to 5 years of followup there was 1 local recurrence proximal to the original resection site. Local excision of recurrence resulted in no evidence of disease at 2 years of followup following repeat excision. All other patients had no local recurrence.

Conclusions: In select cases wide local excision with grafting or skin advancement results in a normal phallic appearance without jeopardizing cancer control.