Penile Cancer

What Is Penile Cancer?

The penis is the external male genitalia. It contains many types of tissue, including skin, nerves, and blood vessels. The urethra, the tube through which urine and semen leave the body, is inside the penis. The tip of the penis is called the glans. The foreskin covers the glans. Every male has a foreskin at birth. Circumcision is the removal of part or the entire foreskin on the penis at birth or later on in life.

Penile cancer is rarely found in men in the United States. Although there are different types of penile cancer, about 95% are squamous cell carcinoma. This means they begin in the flat skin cells of the penis, called squamous cells.

Most squamous cell penile cancers begin on the foreskin or on the glans. Squamous cell penile cancer is slow-growing and can usually be cured if found early.

Penile cancer expertise

Penile cancer is a rare cancer that should be treated by doctors with expertise in urologic oncology. Our doctors at Urology Specialists of Ohio offer sophisticated diagnostics, extensive surgical and micro-surgical expertise, advanced radiation therapy, and compassionate, personalized care for patients with penile cancer.

We work closely with you to develop an optimal treatment plan that provides the best chances for a successful outcome with the least impact on your body.

Penile Cancer Symptoms

Although many men with penile cancer have early symptoms, you may have no symptoms until the cancer is in its later stages. You may notice symptoms but think they are due to something other than cancer. Tell your doctor about any changes in the skin of your penis, the color of the skin, or any unusual discharge, such as bleeding or foul odor. In many cases, the first sign of penile cancer is an ulcer, sore, or growth on the penis. The growth is usually painless and shows up on the glans or the foreskin, but can also show up on the shaft of the penis.

These are some other symptoms:

• Changes in skin color, thickening of the skin, tissue growth
• A red, velvet-like rash
• Bleeding
• Small and crusty bumps
• Flat growths with a bluish brown color
• A discharge under the foreskin, with or without an odor
• Swelling at the tip of the penis, especially if the foreskin is tight
• Swelling in the groin

These symptoms may or may not mean penile cancer. If you have any of them, you should see your doctor right away.

Most men also want to know how they will function after treatment and whether they will have to change their normal activities. The doctor is the best person to answer questions about your treatment choices, how successful treatment will be, what the risks and side effects may be, and how much it is likely to cost.

Types of Treatments

Treatment for penile cancer is either local or systemic. Local treatments remove, destroy, or control the cancer cells in one area. Surgery, radiation therapy, and topical chemotherapy are local treatments. Systemic treatments are used to destroy or control cancer cells throughout the entire body. Chemotherapy is used when cancer has spread.

You may have just one of these treatments, or you may have a combination:

Chemotherapy

The use of anticancer drugs to shrink or kill cancerous cells and reduce cancer spreading to other parts of the body.  Depending on the type of tumor, doctors may use different chemotherapy drugs to treat penile cancer. For very early stage cancers, chemotherapy may be applied directly to the skin as a cream (topical chemotherapy). For advanced cancers, systemic chemotherapy (given into a vein) may help shrink tumors.

Radiation Therapy

The use of high-energy radiation to kill or shrink cancer cells, tumors, and non-cancerous diseases.  The goal of radiation therapy is to kill cancer cells by using X-rays. Your doctor may use it as the main treatment for penile cancer instead of surgery, or it may be used along with surgery in some cases. You may receive radiation externally, called external beam radiation therapy, or internally, called brachytherapy.

Surgery

This is the most common treatment for penile cancer. The goal of this treatment is to remove the tumor and leave as much of the penis as possible. New advances in treatment have increased the kinds of surgery used to treat penile cancer and have made the removal of the penis less common. Doctors may also use surgery to remove regional lymph nodes.

Doctors are always finding new ways to treat penile cancer. These new methods are tested in clinical trials. Before beginning treatment, ask your doctor if there are any clinical trials you should consider.