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. Cancer 1996;77:2099‐102.