Penile cancer: 9 main symptoms and causes

Penile cancer is a rare type of cancer that can appear in the body or only in the skin that recovers it, causing changes in the color and in the texture of the skin, as well as causing the appearance of nodules or lesions that take a long time. too long to disappear.

This type of cancer is more frequent in people older than 60 years, but it can also occur in young people, especially smokers, who have a bag of intimate hygiene or have sexual intercourse without a condom, for example.

Pene cancer is cured, however, it may be necessary to carry out a surgery to remove the affected tissues and, therefore, even more extensive if the cancer is identified, the greater the probability that it will be removed a bigger portion of the pene.

main symptoms

Therefore, in order to identify this type of cancer, it is very important to keep an eye out for symptoms such as:

1. Appearance of a red herida as an eruption in the pene;
2. Pain in the penis that does not disappear in 4 weeks and increases;
3. Nodule in the penis, in the glans or in the foreskin;
4. Enlargement of the skin of the penis or of the foreskin making the retraction of the foreskin difficult;
5. Cambios en el color del pene o del prepucio;
6. I flow with bad odor that goes through the urethra;
7. Bleeded from the penis or from under the foreskin;
8. Inflammation of the extremity of the pen;
9. Pain and inflammation of the lymph nodes found in English.

However, some of these symptoms, especially a wound in the penis that does not heal, may indicate other diseases in the region such as herpes, syphilis or gonorrhea, it is very important to consult a urologist so that the necessary diagnostic tests are carried out, confirm it. cause and start the appropriate treatment.

See other causes of heridas en el pene.

how to diagnose

The diagnosis of penile cancer is carried out by the urologist, who is responsible for evaluating the signs and symptoms described by the man. In addition to this, it is also necessary to indicate the performance of a biopsy, with the objective of verifying if there is an alteration in the pene cells that indicate malignancy.

Causes of penile cancer

However, the causes that can give rise to penile cancer are unknown. However, it is known that there are some risk factors that can increase the possibilities of development, which include:

• smoking;
• Poor intimate hygiene habits, which causes an increase in the amount of secretion accumulated in the prepuce;
• HPV virus infection;
• Absence of circumcision or circumcision performed as an adult;
• Age over 60 years.

Having any of these risk factors does not necessarily indicate that the man will develop penile cancer, however, it is important to consult a urologist regularly, especially after 60 years of age.

How is the treatment performed?

The treatment must be guided by an oncologist and usually begins with a surgery to remove the affected tissue as much as possible, complemented with chemotherapy or radiotherapy to eliminate the remaining tumor cells.

Pene cancer has high chances of cure, however, it all depends on the cancer’s degree, location and size of the affected region, so the treatment must be guided by an oncologist or a urologist.

Depending on the size and degree of cancer development, the patient may present some complications after the surgery such as erectile dysfunction, and when more tissue is necessary to remove, there is a risk of affecting the muscles necessary for pene erection. However, in these cases, the doctor may recommend the use of a penile prosthesis that allows the man to have and maintain an erection during intimate contact.

In the most serious cases, when the tumor is in a very advanced stage, the doctor may recommend emasculation, which consists of the total extirpation of the entire sexual organ and testicles. For these cases, a new technique is being developed to carry out a penile transplant, in such a way that all sexual function can be returned to the patient.

How does penile transplantation work?

This type of treatment is being studied as a way to restore the urinary and sexual capacity of patients in whom it was necessary to eliminate the penis during cancer treatment. This surgery is not available and during the periods that it is possible, it would take approximately 15 hours to connect all blood vessels and nerves.

The transplanted organ must be from a donor with similar structural characteristics to reduce the risk of infections, hemorrhage and rejection. However, it is also not possible to predict the success of the transplant in the treatment of erectile dysfunction, which can negatively affect the psychological health of the patient.

How to prevent penile cancer

To prevent the risk of developing penile cancer, some precautions should be taken, such as:

• Maintain daily penile hygiene, especially under the foreskin to avoid bacterial and viral infections;
• Use condoms during intimate contact;
• Don’t smoke.

Although there is no specific cause for the development of penile cancer, these precautions help to avoid certain risk factors such as poor hygiene or HPV infection, for example.

How to wash the pen correctly

For proper pen hygiene you must remove the skin that covers the head of the pene at the back, washing it with water and a neutral pH soap. At the end of the bath, it is also important to remove the skin from the head of the pene behind and dry the area below the foreskin.

Watch the following step-by-step video to wash your penis correctly: