To determine the prevalence of penile cancer in patients with adult acquired buried penis. Penile cancer is a rare but aggressive cancer. Several case reports have recently been published that indicate that adult acquired buried penis (AABP) may increase the risk of penile cancer.
A retrospective review was conducted of adults diagnosed with AABP and penile cancer between 1/2008 and 12/2018 seen at a tertiary referral center. Demographics including age, BMI, comorbidities, etiology of AABP, smoking history, circumcision status, and premalignant lesions (condyloma, lichen sclerosus (LS) carcinoma in situ (CIS)) were recorded. For patients with penile cancer, AJCC staging, grade, TNM Staging and treatments were recorded. Basic descriptive statistics were performed for the overall cohort. We used Chi-square tests and Fisher exact tests to compare differences between patients with benign pathology and patients with malignant or pre-malignant pathology.
We identified 150 patients with the diagnosis of adult acquired buried penis. The prevalence of penile squamous cell carcinoma was seven percent. There was a 35% rate of premalignant lesions. This study is limited by its retrospective and single-institution nature.
AABP is a condition that incorporates multiple risk factors for penile cancer. The prevalence of penile cancer appears to be higher in patients with AABP, however more data is needed to confirm these initial findings. Patients with AABP should be counseled on these risks and should be considered for buried penis repair if a physical exam cannot be performed.
Urology. 2019 Jul 29 [Epub ahead of print]
Kelly R Pekala, Daniel Pelzman, Katherine M Theisen, Devin Rogers, Avinash Maganty, Thomas W Fuller, Paul J Rusilko
Department of Urology. Electronic address: ., Department of Urology., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.