Does the Placement of a Collagen-Fibrin Sealant Reduce Complications of Radical Inguinal Lymph Node Dissection? - Comparative Study in Patients with Penile Cancer - Beyond the Abstract

Radical inguinal lymph node dissection represents the gold-standard treatment for patients with penile cancer presenting with palpable inguinal lymph nodes. Nevertheless, the procedure is not without significant associated morbidity.


With this work, we sought to evaluate whether outcomes could be improved by simply adding an available and affordable agent, Tachosil, to the resection bed. To that aim, we conducted a retrospective study comparing the overall incidence of complications until 1 month after the procedure and their severity in patients undergoing radical inguinal lymph node dissection with and without placement of a collagen-fibrin sealant patch on the resection bed.

Our conclusions are quite elucidative, showing that applying a collagen-fibrin sealant patch on the resection bed does not reduce the postoperative complication rate in patients undergoing radical inguinal lymph node dissection. Even so, there is a clear trend toward a shorter length of hospital stay in patients whose resection bed is covered with Tachosil. Interestingly, both analyzed cohorts had similar rates of sartorius muscle transposition and long saphenous vein ligation, further strengthening our findings.

Prospective studies to further inform on this matter should be undertaken. We believe that well-designed multicentric randomized controlled trials, gathering data from patients from high-volume centres would be of utmost relevance to clarify whether the placement of a collagens-fibrin sealant may lessen the morbidity associated with the surgical technique.

Written by: Andreia Bilé Silva, João Nuno Pereira, Rui Freitas, Isaac Braga, João Carvalho, José Sanches Magalhães, Vítor Silva, Francisco Lobo, António Morais

Hospital de Egas Moniz - Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Ocidental, Lisboa., Instituto Português de Oncologia Francisco Gentil do Porto, Porto., Instituto Português de Oncologia Francisco Gentil do Porto, Porto., Instituto Português de Oncologia Francisco Gentil do Porto, Porto., Instituto Português de Oncologia Francisco Gentil do Porto, Porto., Instituto Português de Oncologia Francisco Gentil do Porto, Porto., Instituto Português de Oncologia Francisco Gentil do Porto, Porto., Instituto Português de Oncologia Francisco Gentil do Porto, Porto., Instituto Português de Oncologia Francisco Gentil do Porto, Porto.

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