Clinicopathologic characteristics and outcomes of penile cancer treated at tertiary care centers in the Western United States.

Background: This article reports on the experience with penile squamous cell carcinoma (PSCC) in a unique multiethnic patient population from Los Angeles, California, with regard to treatments rendered and clinical outcomes.

Patients And Methods: Available clinical, pathologic, and treatment information for PSCC patients treated at 3 hospitals associated with the University of Southern California from 1991 to 2011 was retrospectively reviewed. Associations of patient variables with prognosis were assessed using univariable and multivariable analyses.

Results: Of the 95 PSCC patients identified, clinicopathologic and outcome information was available on 89 men (median age, 53 years; median follow-up, 23 months). National minorities comprised 76.4% of the cohort with 57.3% Hispanics accounting for all patients. Presence of poorly differentiated tumors was associated with higher tumor stage (P = .020), nodal metastasis (P = .016), distant metastasis (P = .004), and advanced AJCC disease stage (P = .001). Univariate analysis showed that tumor (P = .008), nodal (P = .033), and metastasis (P < .001) stage, and tumor differentiation (P = .010) were associated with survival. When categorized according to the AJCC classification, patients with ≥ stage III disease had worse outcomes (P = .006). Type of primary therapy delivered did not affect outcomes. AJCC disease stage was independently prognostic in multivariable analysis (P = .035).

Conclusion: These results confirm associations of several clinicopathologic factors with PSCC outcomes, although the presented population differs from others previously described from the United States with a relatively higher proportion of Hispanic men. This highlights the need for studies on the effects of race, cultural, health, and behavioral patterns on PSCC outcomes in multiethnic populations.