Metastases to the penis from carcinoma of the prostate

Cancer metastatic to the penis: treatment with hyperthermia and radiation therapy and review of the literature

Metastatic cancer to the penis is rare, its optimum treatment remains poorly defined and the outcome of patients with such metastases is poor. Hyperthermia in conjunction with radiation therapy has been shown to be an effective modality in the treatment of locally advanced or recurrent cancer and hyperthermia alone is under evaluation in treating benign disorders, such as hypertrophy of the prostate. Recently, 4 patients with symptomatic metastatic lesions to the penis (3 had primary prostatic cancer and 1 had rectal cancer) were treated with radiation therapy and hyperthermia. Treatment was well tolerated except for pain during hyperthermia, which limited the temperatures that could be obtained. All of the patients improved symptomatically, 1 achieved a complete response and 2 had partial responses. No significant complications were noted. Symptomatic control was maintained in all patients for the duration of their survival. This limited series suggests the possible role of local hyperthermia as an adjunct to radiation therapy in the treatment of metastases to the penis.

Four cases of metastases to the penis and a review of the literature

Penile metastases are rare and usually are secondary to other genitourinary primaries. Approximately 200 cases have been reported. Survival for more than 1 year is unusual, and multiple metastases have been present in all autopsied cases. Occasional survival longer than 5 years has occurred with surgical excision, suggesting the possibility of cure for those patients in whom control of the primary has been achieved and who show no other clinical metastatic lesions.