Pulmonary and pleural metastasis in penile cancer, an uncommon pathology

Abstract

Introduction: Carcinoma of the penis is a rare tumor in our environment, constituting less than 1% of deaths in men and it is defined as the proliferative disordered process of squamous epithelial cells of the penis.

Objective: The objective of the following manuscript is to present the case of a patient who developed cancer of the penis with metastasis to the lung.

Clinical case: An 85-year-old patient was admitted due to a 24-hour clinical picture consisting of hematuria associated with non-productive cough, low back pain, asthenia and adynamia. He had a history of squamous cell carcinoma of the penis, he was identified as a heavy smoker until two years ago and presented chronic exposure to wood smoke. On the physical examination, the patient evidenced a regular general state, respiratory sounds that suggested left hypoventilation, absence of penis due to his clinical history and outflow of hematuric urine through bladder catheter, ganglia in the inguinal region, edema in the lower limbs with formation of flictenas on the dorsal zone of the feet. Imaging studies confirmed the presence of mass in a pulmonary region together with pathological fractures at the thoracic level, thus, palliative care was provided, and the patient was discharged from the hospital.

Conclusions: Penile cancer is a low prevalence worldwide pathology. Approximately 95% of these cancers are squamous cell carcinomas, which can easily spread locally through lymphatic or vascular channels; nonetheless, its metastatic disease development is rare and mainly affects organs such as the liver, bone, and brain. However, few cases of metastasis to the dorsal spine, heart, retroperitoneum, breast tissue, lung, and skin have been reported.