A third of patients with lymph node-positive penile cancer don’t receive recommended care

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on email
Share on print

One third of men with lymph node-positive penile cancer don’t receive a lymph node dissection, the recommended care associated with an overall survival advantage, researchers from Fox Chase Cancer Center have found. The paper appears in JAMA Oncology.

The researchers used the National Cancer Database to evaluate patient care at hospitals nationwide, and found that men had a better overall survival rate after undergoing a lymph node dissection, while neither chemotherapy nor radiation was associated with a survival benefit. But, they found that one third of patients did not undergo a lymph node dissection.

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines advocate for lymph node dissection or radiotherapy with consideration of perioperative chemotherapy for all patients with lymph node-positive penile cancer without metastasis.

Researchers also found that while the use of chemotherapy has increased over the past decade, rates remain below 50 percent. Older patients in particular were less likely to receive chemotherapy.

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health to defend the HHS fiscal year 2026 budget proposal, and faced criticism from several Democratic lawmakers on what they described as a lack of transparency and scientific rigor in the agency’s recent decisions.

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine has devastated the Ukrainian healthcare infrastructure, disrupting cancer care, halting clinical trials, and compounding long-standing systemic challenges.  Even before the war, Ukraine’s oncology system faced major constraints: Limited access to radiotherapy equipment, outdated chemotherapy supply chains, and workforce shortages. The invasion intensified these issues—cancer hospitals were damaged, warehouses destroyed,...

Patients affected by cancer are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence-powered chatbots, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, for answers to pressing health questions. These tools, available around the clock and free from geographic or scheduling constraints, are appealing when access to medical professionals is limited by financial, language, logistical, or emotional barriers. 

Never miss an issue!

Get alerts for our award-winning coverage in your inbox.

Login