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Anatomic Levels: Important Landmarks in Penectomy Specimens

2001; Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Volume: 25; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1097/00000478-200108000-00016

1532-0979

Antonio L. Cubilla, Adriano Piris, Rolf Pfannl, Ingrid Rodrı́guez, Fatima Agüero, Robert H. Young,

Urologic and reproductive health conditions

The majority of squamous cell carcinomas of the penis arise from the glans, and the prognosis is related significantly to the depth of invasion of crucial anatomic landmarks. Accurate information related to this can only be obtained when specimens are carefully evaluated grossly. Most pathologists in developed countries encounter resected specimens of penile carcinoma infrequently, and gross evaluation is occasionally suboptimal, potentially preventing obtaining reliable prognostic information. The four distinct levels of the glans penis are the epithelium, lamina propria, corpus spongiosum, and corpus cavernosum. A simple method for pathologic evaluation of the glans is presented. Noteworthy findings in our study of a South American population were that the distance from the lamina propria to tunica albuginea ranged from 7 to 13 to 6 mm at the dorsal, central, and ventral areas of the corpus spongiosum, respectively. The most distal portion of the corpus cavernosum was located within the glans in 34 of 44 cases and in the body of the penis in only 10. The corpus spongiosum was thinner in the former cases. These anatomic variations may bear on prognosis.