OBJECTIVE To examine interobserver variations in assessing grade and stage of penile squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed the pathological features and clinical outcome in 75 patients with SCC of the penis, who were treated in participating urological centres between 1996 and 2005; the assessments of the local pathologists and the review pathologists were compared. RESULTS There was conformity in tumour grade in 67% and the assessment of tumour stage conformed in 84%; the combination assessment of both grade and stage conformed in 56%. CONCLUSION Accurate histological subtyping by the surgical pathologist demands standardized guidelines, in particular for histological grading, which is crucial for clinical treatment, but shows significant interobserver variation.

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OBJECTIVE To assess the satisfaction profiles following penile prosthesis surgery in patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) in their seventh decade of life. PATIENTS AND METHODS In all, 174 patients received, for the first time, a penile prosthesis between 1990 and 2007 in our department. Among these, 35 patients were aged ≥70 years at prosthesis implantation. Of these, 18 patients were still alive at the time of follow‐up. Using a telephone survey, patients were asked to answer the Erectile Dysfunction Inventory of Treatment Satisfaction (EDITS) as well as the International Index of Erectile Dysfunction (IIEF). Another question in the survey was developed by the authors based on a comprehensive review of the literature, which assessed the usefulness of the device for the patient and the degree of their usage. This was formulated as follows: How many times per 2 weeks do you have a sexual intercourse? RESULTS In all, 15 of 18 patients were either very or somewhat satisfied (83%). At follow‐up 11 out of 15 (73%) patients were using their prosthesis regularly. The mean IIEF and EDITS scores were 21.80 and 75.20, respectively. CONCLUSION A penile prosthesis remains a highly promising treatment in older patients with a similar satisfaction rate to those published for younger patients. Thus, the motivation of the patient and not the age of the patient should be the main determinant factor in this surgical procedure.

To our knowledge we established the first pair of cell lines of a human primary penile tumor and the corresponding lymph node metastasis. These cell lines offer unique possibilities for further comparative functional investigations in in vitro and in vivo settings. They enable studies of new potential therapeutic agents and other assays to better understand the molecular mechanisms of penile cancer progression.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the metastatic risk of pT1 G2 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the penis. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 20 patients with pT1 G2 penile SCC and determined their groin status at first presentation, their nodal status after inguinal lymph node dissection and their follow‐up for at least 18 months. RESULTS Four of the 20 patients had a clinically positive groin; three of these were found to have lymph node metastases. Among the 16 patients with a clinically negative groin, one of five who had surgical lymph node staging had lymph node metastases. During surveillance six of 11 patients developed lymph node metastases. There was lymphovascular invasion in three of 10 patients with lymph node metastases. CONCLUSIONS As the metastatic risk of pT1 G2 penile SCC was 50% in this series of patients, and 44% in those with an initially negative groin, surgical staging of inguinal lymph nodes is recommended in patients with pT1 G2 penile SCC.