What is a Penile Cancer?
Penile Cancer is also known as Penis cancer in which cells inside a man’s penis start multiplying without control. Mostly penile cancer starts from skin cells and then spreads inside of the penis. Though it is rare it can be treated successfully in case it is discovered at a starting phase.
Types of Penile Cancer:
Squamous Cell or Epidermoid Carcinoma: This type of cancer amounts to about 95% of all discovered penile cancer cases. This cancer type starts on or under the foreskin of the penis but can spread to other parts of the penis.
Sarcoma: This cancer type affects tissues like blood vessels, muscles, and fat.
Melanoma: This cancer type originates within the cells that are responsible for providing skin color.
Basal Cell Carcinoma: This cancer type originates deep within the skin. Growth of these cells is quite slow but these cells do not spread and affect other parts of the body.
Penile Cancer Causes:
In penile cancer, healthy cells of the skin change to cancer-causing cells. These cancer cells multiply themselves without control so that a mass is formed called a tumor. These cancer-causing cells can convert healthy cells to also cancer-causing cells. With time these cancer-causing cells could spread to other parts of the body, damaging healthy tissues.
The exact cause of Penile cancer is not known yet, but it is mostly found in men who:
• Have the human papillomavirus (HPV)
• Aged man over 60 years
• Smoke
• Men having HIV or AIDS
• Men Who Have Not Circumcised.
• Man with phimosis.
• Men get psoriasis treatment using the drug psoralen and ultraviolet (UV) light.
Symptoms of Penile Cancer:
• Swelling and irritation, on the head of the penis.
• Presence of fluid under the foreskin of the penis.
• A portion of the penis skin becomes thicker and the color changes
• A lump on the penis.
• A painless lump or sore on the penis that bleeds
• Flat growths that look blueish brown
These symptoms do not always mean penile cancer as it could also be an infection or an allergic reaction. It is important to consult a doctor and tell all about your symptoms, about any unusual symptoms you are noticing in and around the penis.
Can a Penile Cancer Spread by Coming in Contact with an Infected Person?
Though penile cancer doesn’t spread by coming in contact with an infected person human papillomavirus (HPV) which is also a risk factor for penile cancer transmits skin-to-skin contact mostly during unprotected sex.
Penile Cancer Diagnosis and Tests
When you contact a doctor, he might ask you to perform the following actions to confirm penile cancer:
Physical Exam and History: Your doctor might ask to check whether there is any unusual change in the skin color or the presence of a lump on your penis. He might also ask about the symptoms, habits, and past medical illnesses. The information you tell your doctor helps them to determine whether the changes you are feeling are the result of penile cancer or due to any infection or allergic reaction.
Biopsy: A biopsy is a special test done to check the presence of a cancer. In this test, a doctor takes a sample of the suspicious-looking cells or tissues. A specialist person who works in a lab or a pathologist carefully examines those cells under a microscope to check for cancer cells.
Imaging: Imaging tests like X-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, and MRIs look inside your body for the possibility of any tumor or cancer-causing tissues. Also, these imaging tests are done to see how much the cancer has spread.
Available Treatments for Penile Cancer:
Penile cancer treatment depends upon the size of the tumor, how much it has spread and which other portions it has affected, how much chances are that it may come back after the treatment. A team of doctors is formed which includes a main doctor, a cancer specialist(oncologist), a urinary tract specialist(urologist), and a skin specialist(dermatologist).
For those cancers which are in the early stages, your doctor may recommend the following treatments:
- Medicated creams: Your doctor may ask you to apply a cream regularly to your penis. Common medicines include fluorouracil and imiquimod.
- Circumcision: In case the cancer is present only on the foreskin of the penis, your doctor may remove the cancer-causing tissues.
- Laser Ablation: In this procedure, laser beams are used which create extreme heat to destroy cancer-causing cells.
- Cryotherapy: In this procedure to destroy cancer-causing cells extreme cold liquid or a device is used to freeze them.
- Mohs Surgery: In this procedure, the doctor removes layer by layer of cancerous skin till it reaches healthy skin below the cancer-causing cells.
- Excision: Your doctor may detect cancer-causing cells or tumors from your penis.
- Radiation Therapy: Your doctor may use energy beams like X-rays to destroy cancer-causing cells and shrink the tumor before the surgery. For Penile Cancer which has advanced to a more advanced level, your doctor may recommend:
- Penectomy: In this advanced cancer procedure part of the penis is removed. Within total penectomy, the entire penis is removed. Within a total penectomy, your doctor will create an opening within your abdomen or skin in-between the anus and scrotum(perineum) so you can urinate.
- Lymphadenectomy: In this advanced cancer procedure your doctor may remove the lymph node within your groin area if cancer spreads there.
