Objective: To investigate the safety and efficacy of the two-channel dilatation procedure for subcutaneous tunneling in the lower abdomen during pelvic lymph node dissection for penile cancer.
Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 6 patients treated from January 2020 to December 2022 using the dual-channel expansion technique for penile cancer lymph node dissection.
Results: All 6 cases ( 12 sides) successfully underwent prophylactic inguinal lymph node dissection. The average laparoscopic dissection time was ( 82.50 ± 12.08) minutes per side, with an average blood loss of （28.33 ± 10.95） ml. The number of lymph nodes dissected was （11.16 ± 1.02） for the superficial group and ( 0.67 ± 0.74 ) for the deep group. Postoperative pathology was negative in all cases. The average postoperative hospital stay was （7.33 ± 1.60 ） days, with a catheter removal time of （12.00 ± 2.06）days. Postoperative complications included abnormal skin sensations in 5 sides, lower limb edema in 3 sides, lymphedema in 3 sides, and cellulitis in 1 side. During a follow-up period of （20.60 ± 12.51）months, there were no instances of tumor recurrence or metastasis in the inguinal region among the patients.
Conclusion: The dual-channel expansion technique for inguinal lymph node dissection via a subcutaneous tunnel is a safe and feasible treatment for penile cancer. It has a low complication rate, allows for thorough dissection of inguinal lymph nodes, and offers advantages in terms of surgical time.
Keywords: penile cancer; inguinal lymph node dissection; dual-channel expansion; subcutaneous tunnel.