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Response to comment on: Long-term outcomes of penile squamous cell carcinoma in men age ≤50 years old compared with men >50 years old

International Journal of Impotence Research (2024)Cite this article

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The comment by Vandermaesen K and Albersen M [1] on our recent study on the oncological outcomes of penile squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in a ≤50 years (younger) and >50 years (older) cohort of men [2] raised important points for areas of further research.

Correctly identified, the intentionally matched cohorts based on the stage of disease and surgical technique would limit a comprehensive evaluation of histopathological characteristics between the younger and older groups of men. However, the aim of our study was not to investigate this, but to understand whether the two groups of patients with similar stage of disease and surgical treatment would have different survival outcomes. We found that there were no differences in outcomes, except for overall survival. It is likely, as pointed out by Vandermaesen K and Albersen M [1] that the lower overall survival rate observed in the older cohort is associated with higher comorbidities. However, we did not compare data on comorbidities or Charlson scores to prove this. The observation that similar cancer staging in both age groups resulted in similar cancer-specific survival, recurrence-free and metastatic-free survivals implied that penile SCC in the younger patients is at least as aggressive as in older patients and should not be underestimated.

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References

  1. Vandermaesen K, Albersen M. Young men with penile cancer fare as poorly as elder patients: clinical implications. Int J Impot Res. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-024-00889-4.

  2. Pang KH, Fallara G, Hemat M, Ghosh A, Haider A, Freeman A, et al. Long-term outcomes of penile squamous cell carcinoma in men age ≤50 years old compared with men >50 years old from a single tertiary referral centre: a propensity score matched analysis. Int J Impot Res. 2024. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-024-00842-5.

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Acknowledgements

AM acknowledges support from the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University College London Hospital.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

    Karl H. Pang

  2. Division of Urology, Queen Mary Hospital, Hong Kong, China

    Karl H. Pang

  3. Institute of Andrology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

    Karl H. Pang, Asif Muneer & Hussain M. Alnajjar

  4. Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK

    Karl H. Pang, Asif Muneer & Hussain M. Alnajjar

  5. Department of Urology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy

    Giuseppe Fallara

  6. Department of Surgical Biotechnology, University College London, London, UK

    Asif Muneer

  7. NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK

    Asif Muneer

Authors
  1. Karl H. Pang
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  2. Giuseppe Fallara
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  3. Asif Muneer
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  4. Hussain M. Alnajjar
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Contributions

Conceived and/or designed the work that led to the submission, acquired data, and/or played an important role in interpreting the results: KHP, GF, AM, HMA. Drafted or revised the manuscript: KHP, GF. Approved the final version + critical revision: All authors. Agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved: All authors.

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Correspondence to Hussain M. Alnajjar.

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Pang, K.H., Fallara, G., Muneer, A. et al. Response to comment on: Long-term outcomes of penile squamous cell carcinoma in men age ≤50 years old compared with men >50 years old. Int J Impot Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41443-024-00894-7

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