Source: Cancer Resource Room

What is Penile Cancer?
Cancer of the penis, a rare kind of cancer in the United States, is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found on the skin and in the tissues of the penis.

Men who are not circumcised at birth may have a higher risk for getting cancer of the penis. A circumcision is an operation in which the doctor takes away part or all of the foreskin from the penis. The foreskin is the skin which covers the tip of the penis. A circumcision is done on many baby boys before they go home from the hospital.

Symptoms of penile cancer—What does the patient feel or notice? A doctor should be seen if there are any of the following problems:

• growths or sores on the penis,
• any unusual liquid coming from the penis (abnormal discharge)
• bleeding

If there are symptoms of cancer, the doctor will examine the penis and feel for any lumps.

How is penile cancer diagnosed?
If the penis doesn’t look normal or if the doctor feels any lumps, a small sample of tissue (called a biopsy) will be cut from the penis and looked at under a microscope to see if there are any cancer cells.

The prognosis (chance of recovery) and choice of treatment depend on the stage of the cancer (whether it is just in the penis or has spread to other places), and the patient’s general state of health.

Stages of cancer of the penis
Once cancer of the penis is found, more tests will be done to find out if the cancer has spread from the penis to other parts of the body (staging). A doctor needs to know the stage of the disease to plan treatment. The following stages are used for cancer of the penis:

• Stage I
  Cancer cells are found only on the surface of the glans (the head of the penis) and on the foreskin (the loose skin that covers the head of the penis).
• Stage II
  Cancer cells are found in the deeper tissues of the glans and have spread to the shaft of the penis (the long, slender cylinders of tissue inside the penis that contain spongy tissue and expand to produce erections).
• Stage III
  Cancer cells are found in the penis and have spread to nearby lymph nodes in the groin. (Lymph nodes are small bean-shaped structures that are found throughout the body; they produce and store infection-fighting cells).
• Stage IV
  Cancer cells are found throughout the penis and the lymph nodes in the groin and/or have spread to other parts of the body.
• Recurrent
  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.

To read more about Penile Cancer >>>

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