Penile cancer

Overview of penile cancer
When malignant cells originate in the tissue of penis, it causes cancer of the penis or penile cancer. This type of cancer is found rarely.
Risk factors/ causes of penile cancerthe main cause that maybe traced to the penile cancer is human papillomavirus (HPV 16). This virus is sexually transmitted and is a cause of penile and cervical cancer. Circumcised men have a lower chance of getting penile cancer than non circumcised men.


Symptoms of penile cancer
Following maybe the symptoms for a patient having penile cancer:
Growths or sores on the penis
Unusual penile discharge
Bleeding from penis
Lumps in the penis
Diagnosis of penile cancer
Together with the blood tests a doctor may ask for a biopsy of the penis to be sure if the patient is suffering from penile cancer. If cancer of the penis is diagnosed, more tests are done to find out if the cancer has spread from the penis to other parts of the body (staging). This is called staging of cancer where a physician or a doctor decides the extent to which the cancer has spread. The following stages are used for cancer of the penis:
Stage I: Cancer cells are localized to the surface of the head of the penis (glans) and on the foreskin
Stage II: Deeper tissues of the glans are also affected by cancer cells and have spread to the shaft of the penis (the long, slender cylinders of spongy tissue inside the penis that expands to produce erections).
Stage III: Penile cancer cells have spread to nearby lymph nodes in the groin.
Stage IV: Cancer cells are found throughout the penis, the lymph nodes in the groin and/or have spread to other parts of the body.
Recurrent disease: Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back (recurred) after it has been treated. It may come back in the same area or in another place.


Treatment of penile cancer
The treatment methods available for penile cancer are:
Surgery: Since surgery is the most common treatment of all stages of cancer of the penis, the decision of which surgical procedure the surgeon opts is entirely dependent on the stage of the cancer. The various surgical procedures to reat penile cancer are:
Taking out only the cancer and some normal tissue on either side of the cancerous tissue is called wide local excision
Surgical procedure in which microscope is used first to identify the cancerous cells and then removing them together with as little normal tissue as possible is called microsurgery.
Laser surgery uses a narrow beam of light to remove cancer cells.
Circumcision is an operation that removes the foreskin.
Amputation of the penis is an operation that takes out the penis. It is the most common and most effective treatment of cancer of the penis. Surgical removal of penis is called penectomy and it is of two types:
Partial penectomy involves surgically removing a part of the penis.
Total penectomy removes the entire penis and some lymph nodes in the groin area.
Other treatment methods are:
Radiation therapy
Chemotherapy

Main things to note about penile cancer:
Cancer of the penis is more common in uncircumcised men and causes growths or sores on the penis, abnormal discharge or bleeding from the penis. Treatment depends on the stage of the cancer and treatment methods may include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The prognosis (chance of recovery) depends on the stage of the cancer.


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