Penile Cancer: The Basics

What is penile cancer?

Penile cancer is a rare disease in which malignant cells develop in the skin and/or soft tissues of the penis.

Who gets penile cancer?

Penile cancer is rare in the United States and there are only about 1,300 new cases diagnosed annually. In Africa and South America, it is much more common and accounts for up to 10% of cancers in men. Circumcision just after birth, a procedure in which the covering of the tip of the penis is removed, appears to protect men from getting the disease. The risk of penile cancer is about 3 times higher for men who are uncircumcised, or are circumcised later in life. Phimosis, or an unretractable foreskin, has also been associated with penile cancer. Poor hygiene and having a sexually transmitted disease (such as HPV, or human papilloma virus) may also increase a man's risk of developing cancer of the penis. Smoking also appears to be associated with penile cancers. Most cancers of the penis are squamous cell carcinomas which arise from the skin of the penis. Although rare, it is possible to get metastasis (tumors which have spread from other areas) to the penis.

So what are the symptoms?

Penile cancer commonly presents as a lump, mass or ulcer on the penis. Lesions can be raised and wart-like or flat. The penile lesion can be sore and inflamed, and there may be itching and burning in the region as well. Generally, penile cancers affect the head or foreskin of the penis rather than the shaft of the penis. About half of men with penile cancer will have swollen groin lymph nodes at diagnosis. Only about half of these swollen nodes will be involved with tumor. This occurs because penile cancer lesions can often become infected and can also cause lymph node swelling. As the disease progresses, the cancer cells may form a raised lesion that can sometimes cause parts of the tissue of the penis to die and erode away. Spread of the disease is rare and symptoms in other parts of the body are uncommon.

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