Quality of Life after Surgical Treatment for Penile Carcinoma

Background The aim of our review was to collect and analyze all the available literature about surgical treatment for penile carcinoma in order to understand the real implication of this kind of surgery on patients’ quality of life. Methods A systematic literature search (English or French written literature) was conducted in electronic database MEDLINE, using the key search terms “Penectomy AND quality of life”. Studies from 1994 to 2017, concerning the implications of surgical treatment for penile carcinoma were collected and analyzed. A manual search of reference lists of included studies and review articles was successively performed. All references of the retrieved studies were also reviewed to avoid missing relevant publications. Results 10 articles were included in the systematic review. The studies were settled in Denmark, Brazil, Norway, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, China and USA. The enrolled patients ranged from 4 to 155, and had a mean age at the interview of 50.5-67 years old. Patients underwent several types of surgery: glansectomy, partial or total amputation, emasculation. Sexual function represented the most important element negatively influenced by the surgical treatment especially for patients who underwent more invasive treatments leading to anxiety or depression. Most of patients didn’t report significant alterations of their quality of life and reported satisfying relationships with their partners because of the support received from them. The age was one of the most important aspects that influenced the QoL. Conclusions In conclusion, in contrast to what expected our review demonstrated an excellent overall QoL after surgery for penile carcinoma. Quality of Life after Surgical Treatment for Penile Carcinoma | Request PDF. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326240488_Quality_of_Life_after_Surgical_Treatment_for_Penile_Carcinoma [accessed Oct 24 2018].