Aim: To study the impact of delay in inguinal lymph node dissection (LND) in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the penis, who have indications for LND at the time of presentation.
Materials and methods: In total, 28 patients (mean age 52.1 +/- 12.8 years) with squamous cell carcinoma of the penis, treated from January 2000 to June 2008, were retrospectively studied with regard to clinical presentation, time of LND, and the outcome. The patients were divided into two groups based on the time for LND. Group 1 patients had LND at mean of 1.7 months (range 0-6 months) of treatment of the primary lesion, and group 2 had LND at a mean of 14 months (range 7-24 months) after treatment of the primary lesion.
Statistical analysis: The statistical analysis of survival was done using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Log Rank test, with p < 0.05 considered to be statistically significant. The Mann-Whitney test and Fisher's exact test were used for univariate comparison.
Results: Twenty-three of the 28 patients had inguinal LND. In group 1, of 13 patients, 12 were alive, with no recurrence of disease at a mean follow-up of 37 months (8-84) months. In group 2, only two patients were alive and disease-free, at a mean follow-up of 58 months (33-84 months). The five-year cancer-specific survival rates for early and delayed LND were 91 and 13%, respectively, (p = 0.007).
Conclusions: When compliance with follow-up is suspect, patients with high grade or T stage (greater than T1) tumor are better treated by inguinal LND during the same hospital admission or within two months of primary treatment.