Signs and Stages of Penile Cancer

Penile cancer is a form of penis disorder that is not very common in men. The condition is completely curable if detected in early stages. Penile cancer is a slow-growing cancer and affects the head or the foreskin of the penis rather than the shaft.

There are four major stages in penile cancer. In the first stage, the cancer cells can be observed only on the surface of the foreskin and the glans. These cells reach the deeper tissues of the glans in the second stage and reach the shaft of the penis.

By the time they reach lymph nodes in the groin and enter deep tissues of the penis, the third stage is attained by the penile cancer.

In the fourth stage, the cancer spreads to almost all regions of the penis a may start spreading to other parts of the body.

The very first signs of penile cancer may be occurrence of a lesion, reddishness, irritation and soreness on the penis. If you notice an area on penis with changed skin colour you must get a biopsy done.

Men above 60 years of age are at greater risk of developing this form of cancer. Use of tobacco based products, having poor hygiene habits and having many sexual partners are the factors which significantly increase the risk of penile cancer in men.

Interestingly, according to studies, men who are circumcised at birth are at least risk of developing penile cancer. But if the practice is performed at puberty, the chances of penile cancer increase. Men who are circumcised at adult stage do not benefit from the practice at all and face same risk as men who have never been circumcised.
It has also been found that sexual partners of men who have never been circumcised are at higher risk of developing uterine cervix cancer.

The treatments of penile surgery include surgeries, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, biologic therapy, radiosensitizers and biopsy of sentinel lymph node followed by a surgery.