Current and future strategies in the diagnosis and management of penile cancer

Abstract

Penile cancer is an uncommon malignancy that has a devastating effect on the patient while also being challenging to diagnose and treat. By implementing preventive measures, we can decrease the incidence of this disease and improve the quality of life of our patients. Early detection plays an important role in disease control and proper diagnostic modalities must be used in order to accurately identify the cancer and its progression. Primary penile lesions should be initially approached when surgically feasible and clinically appropriate with penile preserving surgical techniques. Advances in inguinal lymph node detection and management, has improved the clinical outcome of penile cancer. Advanced penile cancer still portends a poor prognosis and should be approached via a multimodal treatment regimen. In this review, we address the importance of prevention, early detection, and the contemporary management of primary penile lesions, as well as the advances in inguinal lymph node disease detection and surgical treatment, for both localized and advanced disease. © 2011 Samuel M. Lawindy et al.