ABSTRACT
Penile carcinomas are rare. The incidence in England and Wales is 1.2-1.5 per 100 000 per year.1 This represents less than 1% of all male malignancies and is comparable with other west European and North American countries. In contrast to this, the incidence in some parts of the developing world is as high as 20 per 100 000 per year. More than 95% of penile malignancies are primary squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), the rest being melanomas, sarcomas, and basal cell carcinomas. Treatments are not well defined because of the absence of any large randomized trials due to the rarity of the disease in developed countries. Guidelines are often based on small retrospective reports. In fact, until recently, specialist referral centers may only have had experience of 100-200 patients accumulated over many years.
