Treatment of locoregionally advanced penile squamous cell carcinoma (LAPSCC) is challenging. The exact role (in terms of oncological benefit) of extensive surgery is not well established. Moreover, surgery invariably leads to large defects requiring reconstructive surgery. Rectus abdominis myocutaneous (RAM) and abdominal advancement flaps have an independent and constant blood supply, are easily harvested, and provide substantial skin coverage and soft tissue.
To determine the surgical and oncological outcomes in patients with LAPSCC undergoing surgical resection with RAM flaps.
From 2002 to 2016, a multi-institutional database identified 15 LAPSCC patients undergoing flap reconstructions.
Local surgical resection with RAM or abdominal advancement flap reconstruction.
Perioperative and pathologic data were collected. Postoperative complications were identified using the Clavien-Dindo classification for surgical complications.
Fifteen patients (median age 61 yr) were treated, ten with curative intent. Thirteen patients received induction chemotherapy. Thirteen of the 15 patients (87%) experienced wound complications, including five Clavien-Dindo grade III complications. In 11/15 patients (73%), the disease recurred (median recurrence-free interval 106 d). The majority of recurrences (91%) were locoregional, and in four cases the patient also had lesions in distant organs. Ten of the 15 patients (67%) died of their disease. The overall median follow-up interval was 10.5 mo. The study was limited by its retrospective design, the absence of quality-of-life measurements, and the cohort size.
The results of this study show that surgical resection with reconstruction is associated with a risk of perioperative complications, including high-grade Clavien-Dindo complications. With a cure rate of 27%, surgery must be carefully considered and there is a need for alternative treatments. Lack of robust quality-of-life-data is also a serious shortcoming in the decision process for this patient category.
Surgery in locoregionally advanced penile cancer has a low cure rate. Reconstruction of defects is surgically feasible, albeit with a high risk of complications. Furthermore, decision-making lacks robust data on quality of life after surgery.
European urology focus. 2018 Feb 09 [Epub ahead of print]
Sarah R Ottenhof, Andrew Leone, Rosa S Djajadiningrat, Mounsif Azizi, Kamran Zargar, Laura C Kidd, Gregory Diorio, Gerard Mosiello, Niels M Graafland, Philippe E Spiess, Simon Horenblas
Department of Urology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands., Genitourinary Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA., Cutaneous Oncology, Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL, USA., Department of Urology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Electronic address: .