The Place of Radiation Therapy in the Treatment of Carcinoma of the Distal End of the Penis

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Abstract
Carcinoma of the penis is a rare disease in the mainland United States. It occurs almost exclusively in uncircumcised men, very rarely before age 30, usually after age 50, and is generally associated with phimosis and resulting difficult or poor hygiene. It tends to remain localized for considerable lengths of time, but undifferentiated tumors and tumors in younger patients may be quite aggressive. Primary treatment may be surgical extirpation or irradiation. The latter is followed by surgery in the event of failure to control the tumor or for a radiation complication. Irradiation alone, if successful, avoids the functional disability and the psychological distress caused by loss of the penis, so if control is comparable, obviously this is the treatment of choice. Many authors have published results of treatment by primary surgery or radiotherapy. We wish to report on the treating of carcinoma of the penis by radiotherapy alone or in planned combination with surgery. The M. D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute's experience with conservative management of carcinoma of the distal end of the penis by radiotherapy is reviewed, and compared with more drastic methods that combine preoperative irradiation with partial or total amputation.

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