Penile cancer and human papilloma virus (HPV) in a human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patient.

Only a handful of cases of penile carcinoma among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected males have been reported. This is surprising insofar as other anogenital malignancies associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) are over-represented in HIV-infected men and women. Herein we describe the case of an HIV seropositive 64-year-old Caucasian with a CD4+ T-lymphocyte count of 550 cells/mm3 and an invasive squamous cell cancer of the penis. He underwent radical penectomy to treat cancer initially confined to the penile shaft and glans penis, but ultimately succumbed to complications associated with metastatic disease. HPV type 18 was identified by in situ hybridization and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) studies in the primary tumor and in groin and lung metastasis. We also briefly review current thoughts regarding the epidemiology and pathogenesis of penile cancer, particularly in the setting of HPV and HIV co-infection.