Nd:YAG laser in penile diseases. Indications and limits
— Penile cancer is an uncommon malignancy in the western world (1–2% of all malignancies in males). Traditionally it is treated by penis amputation. Today with laser therapy a new opportunity is offered. 16 patients referred to our Dept. for early stage penile cancer. 2 TIS, 7 T1, 1 T2 penile cancer and 6 with Erythroplasia of Queyrat. Before treatment the patients underwent cold biopsy in order to establish the tumour grading and staging of malignancy. A laser irradiation was performed under local anaesthesia using 25–35 Watt/3 sec in the penile cancer and 15–20 Watt/2 sec in the Erytroplasia of Queyrat. There were no complications after treatment. All patients were observed during follow-up every month after the irradiation until the sixth month and then every 3 months. No-one developed local recurrence or metastatic disease: Nd:YAG laser seems to offer a safe, easy treatment compared to traditional surgery. It can be performed under local, anaesthesia without bleeding, permits good local tumour control, a good cosmetic aspect and, finally full functionality of the penis.