Penile cancer- adult

Overview

Penile cancer, adult: Cancer of the penis.

Symptoms

* Persistent sore on penis * Penis pain * Bleeding from penis * Penis lump

Causes

The exact cause of penile cancer is unknown; however, it's generally associated with poor personal hygiene and with phimosis in uncircumcised men. This may account for the low incidence among Jews, Muslims, and people of other cultures that practice circumcision at birth or shortly thereafter. (Incidence isn't decreased in cultures that practice circumcision at a later date.) Early circumcision seems to prevent penile cancer by allowing for better personal hygiene and minimizing inflammatory (and commonly premalignant) lesions of the glans and prepuce. Such lesions include: *leukoplakia — inflammation, with thickened patches that may fissure *balanitis — inflammation of the penis associated with phimosis *erythroplasia of Queyrat — squamous cell cancer in situ; velvety, erythematous lesion that becomes scaly and ulcerative *penile horn — scaly, horn-shaped growth. Penile cancer rarely affects circumcised men in modern cultures; when it does occur, it's usually in men who are older than age 50.

Diagnosis

Home medical testing related to Penile cancer, adult: * Home STD Testing o Home HIV Tests o Home Chlamydia Tests o Home Hepatitis Tests o Home Trichomonas Tests * Colon & Rectal Cancer: Home Testing o Home Colorectal Cancer Tests o Home Fecal Occult Bleeding Tests * Sexuality & Libido: Home Testing: o Home Hormone Tests o Home Libido Tests o Home Menopause Tests o Home Andropause Tests * Prostate Health: Home Testing: o Home Prostate Tests o Home PSA Antigen Tests o Home Testosterone Tests * Liver Health: Home Testing o Home Hepatitis Tests o Home Liver Tests

Treatment

Depending on the stage of progression, treatment includes surgical resection of the primary tumor and, possibly, chemotherapy and radiation. Local tumors of the prepuce only require circumcision. Invasive tumors, however, require partial penectomy if there's at least a 2-cm, tumor-free margin; tumors of the base of the penile shaft require total penectomy and inguinal node dissection (procedure is less common in the United States than in other countries where incidence is higher). Radiation therapy may improve treatment effectiveness after resection of localized lesions without metastasis; it may also reduce the size of lymph nodes before nodal resection. It's not adequate primary treatment for groin metastasis, however. Topical 5-fluorouracil is used for precancerous lesions. A combination of bleomycin, methotrexate, and vincristine with or without cisplatin is used for metastasis. * Cancer Specialists: o Oncology (Cancer specialists) o Radiation Oncology o Pediatric Hematology / Oncology (Child Cancer/Leukemia) o Radiation Oncology (Diagnostic/X-rays) o Gynecological Oncology o Hematology (Blood/Leukemia Specialists) o Colon & Rectal Surgery