Penis cancer rates soar


The rise in the number of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and a decrease in rates of childhood circumcision is believed to be the cause of a rise in rates of cancer of the penis in the past 30 years.

New figures from the UK showed there has been a 20 percent increase in the number of men being diagnosed with penis cancer, which is characterised by colour changes, bumps or thickening of the skin, or discharge and bleeding.

Experts believe that greater exposure to human papilloma virus (HPV) is responsible for a six-fold increase in risk of penis cancer.

Penis cancer has similar symptoms to some STIs, so cancer charities have urged men to be aware of changes to their penis and seek medical attention if anything seems different.

"Unlike other more common cancers, penile cancer is rare and many men feel embarrassed and unable to talk openly about it," Rebecca Porta, chief executive of cancer charity Orchid told The Daily Mail.


Smoking greatly increases men's risk of penis cancer, which is believed to be because the toxic chemicals are excreted in urine.

Poor personal hygiene is also thought to put men at risk because it can lead to a build-up of chemical substances under the foreskin.

Circumcised men are believed to have a lower risk of penis cancer.

In Victoria, 20 men per year are diagnosed with penis cancer.

What it's like to have penis cancer

UK man Nigel Smith told the Daily Mail that a sexual health clinic misdiagnosed him with a genital wart that they said would disappear over time.

When it didn't, he hid it from his wife by sleeping in the spare bedroom for a year and saying it was because he snored too much.

In 2011, he was eventually diagnosed with penile cancer and the 58-year-old underwent surgery to remove part of his penis.

"If my GP had sent me to a urologist rather than a sex clinic, the cancer could have been diagnosed at stage one and treated," he said.

"By the time I saw a urologist, the cancer was stage three –– one stage away from terminal. I’m now in temporary remission but there’s a 50/50 chance that the disease will return as a secondary cancer –– maybe in my lungs or liver."

Smith is now considering reconstruction surgery.

"Every time I go to the toilet I have a painful reminder of what’s happened, so it’s hard to put things behind me," he said.

"The sexual side of my marriage has ended. I’m 60 but I’m a young 60! It shouldn’t be the end yet. The psychological impact of it all is massive. It’s more traumatic than anyone who hasn’t been through this can know."

Smith encouraged other men in this situation to be open about their symptoms.

"I didn’t talk about my symptoms for so long and hid them from my wife," he said.

"It’s a man thing; we ignore things and hope they’ll go away. If you find something, you need to get it looked at."

The new research was published in the journal Cancer Causes Control.

Source: Daily Mail Author: Kimberly Gillan, Approving editor: Sam Downing