OBJECTIVE To review our series of epidermoid carcinoma of the penis. METHODS 30 cases of epidermoid carcinoma of the penis are reviewed. The clinical features, tumor stage, grade, treatment and outcome are analyzed. RESULTS The time to diagnosis ranged from one month to 10 years, mean 10.3 months (1 to 36); therefore the mean diameter of the tumors was significantly greater (1.9 cm) at the time of diagnosis than at the beginning of the lesion. Eighteen patients had tumor superinfection. Twenty-four patients (80%) had low grade carcinoma; 6 had verrucous carcinoma, 6 (16.7%) intermediate and one (3.3%) high grade. Total penectomy with perineal meatus was performed in 5 cases, 23 had a partial penectomy with 2 cm margin and circumcision was done in two cases. Patients with positive lymph nodes at exploration after antibiotic treatment (13 cases) were submitted to lymphadenectomy, which was associated with chemotherapy in 4 patients. The surgical complications were mainly lymphorrhea and edema and infection of the surgical incision after lymphadenectomy. Complications at the site of penile resection were unusual. Only 6 patients have more than 5 years' follow-up (7-14), with only 1 local recurrence. The remaining patients have a mean follow-up of 22 +/- 16 months (6-60). Of these, only one patient had died from penile cancer (previously pT2pN0M0). This patient had lymph node and distant metastases 6 months following penectomy due to invasive local recurrence (pT3pN2pM1). Lymph node recurrence has been detected in three other patients. CONCLUSIONS Inguinal lymphadenectomy is clearly of therapeutic value in cancer of the penis and performing it early in infiltrating tumors is likely to improve the outcome in these patients.