Neoadjuvant therapy combined with a BMP regimen for treating penile cancer patients with lymph node metastasis: a retrospective study in China

Combination chemotherapy is emerging in the management of advanced penile cancer. However, evidence-based chemotherapeutic regimens in the current guidelines are lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with a BMP regimen including bleomycin (BLM), methopterin (MTX) and cisplatin (DDP) for treating advanced penile cancer patients.We retrospectively audited the clinical and follow-up data of 24 penile cancer patients with fixed inguinal lymph node metastasis that were admitted in our hospital from 2001 to 2010 and received preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy.A total of 24 patients with advanced penile cancer (pN3) were recruited in this study. All patients received preoperative neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with a BMP regimen. The average cycle of chemotherapy was two cycles (range 1-4 cycles). Among 24 adjuvant cases, 15 patients that responded to neoadjuvant chemotherapy underwent penectomy and inguinal lymphadenectomy. In contrast, nine cases did not respond to chemotherapy and received palliative local radiotherapy. Overall, the 1-, 2- and 5-year survival rates were 70.8, 50.0 and 45.8 %, respectively. The 5-year survival rate between the responder and non-responder groups was statistically significant (73.3 vs. 0 %, P0.001).Neoadjuvant chemotherapy combined with a BMP regimen followed by surgery is beneficial to patients with advanced penile cancer.