Organ Preserving Surgeries in Management of Penile Cancer: When and How

Summary Penile carcinoma has a high incidence in India, with 27% of the patients being under 50 years old and sexually active. There is growing interest in penile-preserving strategies owing to disadvantages of penile amputation. Penile amputation leads to both poor sexual performance and deteriorated quality of life. Again, the traditional 2 cm margin criteria are no longer considered important for better oncological outcomes. The main advantages of all penile-preserving surgeries are maintained sexual function and ability of voiding in standing position. The indications for performing penile-preserving surgeries are small tumors, located at the glans and distal shaft and carcinoma in situ or ≤T1 stage with no lymph node metastasis. The main disadvantage of penile-preserving surgeries is increased local recurrence; however, it does not lead to decrease survival.