Penis cancer is a rare type of cancer that can occur in the body only on the skin and alters it, causing changes in skin color and texture, as well as the appearance of nodules or herds that take a long time to disappear. It is the most common affecting men over the age of 50.
There are several types of penile cancer, depending on the type of cell in which the cancer has developed, knowing the type of cancer and differentiation is important because it determines the severity of the cancer and the type of treatment to be applied. even with the most scaly epidermoid carcinoma, which covers 90% of cases, originateing in the foot cells of the penis, from the foreskin to the gland. There are other types such as adenocarcinomas, melanomas and sarcomas.
So, to identify this type of cancer, it’s very important to be aware of symptoms such as:
However, some of these symptoms may also indicate other problems in the area such as herpes, syphilis or gonorrhea, so it is very important to consult a urologist so that the necessary diagnostic tests can be performed, confirm the cause and initiate appropriate treatment. Learn more about sexually transmitted infections.
The cause of penile cancer is unknown, however, it is known that there are certain risk factors that can increase the chances of developing it due to human papillomavirus, there are certain types of HPV that can cause penile cancer; the age of the individual, being more common in men over 50 years of age; chemicals in cigarettes can increase the risk of penile cancer; Having phymosis increases the chance of developing infections such as balanitis, because the problem of constant infections increases the risk of developing certain types of penile cancer.
See what phymosis and ballast are
Treatment should be guided by an oncologist and usually begins with surgery to remove as much affected tissue as possible, completing it with chemotherapy or radiation therapy to remove the remaining tumor cells.
Penile cancer has a high chance of healing, however, it will all depend on the degree of cancer, the location and size of the affected area, so treatment should be guided by an oncologist or urologist.
Depending on the size and degree of cancer development, the patient may have complications after surgery such as erectile dysfunction, which needs to be removed, the higher the risk of affecting the muscles necessary for the erection of the penis, however, in these cases, the doctor may recommend the use of a penis prosthesis that allows the man to have and maintain an erection during intimate contact.
In the most severe cases, when the tumor is at a very advanced stage, your doctor may recommend emasculation, which involves the total removal of all sexual organs and testicles, for these cases a new technique for performing a penis transplant is being developed. , so that all sexual function can be restored in the patient.
This type of treatment is studied to restore the urinary and sexual capacity of patients in which it was necessary to remove the penis during cancer treatment, this surgery is not yet available and during the periods when it has ended it will take about 15 hours to connect all blood vessels and nerves.
The transplanted organ should be a donor with similar structural characteristics to reduce the risk of infection, bleeding and rejection. However, it is not yet possible to predict the success of transplantation in the treatment of erectile dysfunction, which could negatively affect the psychological health of the patient.
To prevent the risk of developing penile cancer, certain precautions should be taken, such as:
Although there is no specific cause for developing penile cancer, we also help avoid certain risk factors such as poor hygiene or HPV infection, for example.