Unreliability of modified inguinal lymphadenectomy for clinical staging of penile carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
In 1988, Catalona proposed a modified bilateral inguinal lymphadenectomy for staging of lymph node metastasis from penile carcinoma. All three patients with penile carcinoma submitted to this procedure and without histologically confirmed metastases were free of disease within a mean follow-up time of 14.6 months.


METHODS
In a prospective study, the authors evaluated thirteen patients staged by the TNM system and submitted to modified bilateral inguinal lymphadenectomy.


RESULTS
None of the patients had histologic metastases in the medial quadrant lymph nodes. Two of these patients developed regional lymph node metastases within 13.2 months (mean follow-up time).


CONCLUSIONS
Catalona's procedure was not reliable. We therefore recommend standard inguinal lymphadenectomy as the minimal treatment for patients with infiltrating carcinoma of the penis.
Lopes
A
A
Division of Urology, Pelvic Surgery, Hospital A.C. Camargo, Fundação Antonio Prudente, São Paulo, Brazil.
Rossi
B M
BM
Fonseca
F P
FP
Morini
S
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008197:Lymph Node Excision; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D010412:Penile Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011446:Prospective Studies