Surgical Intervention in Patients with Penile Neoplasm at a University Hospital before and after the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: Penile cancer (PC) is a rare disease associated with a lack of hygiene, phimosis, low sociocultural level and the human papillomavirus. In urology, its treatment is part of oncological surgeries that cannot be postponed for a given period of time without affecting patient’s survival. Considering this, the aim of this study is to investigate surgical interventions in patients with PC at a university hospital before and after a period characterized by a tendency to postpone elective surgeries, the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This retrospective study was performed with penile cancer patients at the urology clinic of a university hospital. Data were collected from the electronic records of patients sent for hospital treatment. Descriptive statistics were conducted to compare surgical or not surgical interventions before and after the pandemic. Results: A total of 32 patients were analyzed, 18 and 14 were diagnosed prior and after the COVID-19 pandemic, respectively. Comparisons of the frequency of surgeries realized before and after revealed to have a nonsignificant difference (p = 0.4651). When the patients were stratified by age group, significant difference was found regarding the number of surgeries performed previously the pandemic (p = 0.0366) – a finding that was not confirmed following its onset (p = 0.3508). Conclusion: At the university hospital analyzed, COVID-19 pandemic did not have a significant impact on the frequency of surgeries for PC. Either, after its beginning, age no longer exerted an influence on the treatment decision.