Penile cancer is a disease where malignant (cancer) cells arise from the tissues of the penis and start replicating and spreading locally and subsequently distantly with metastases. Penile cancer is a rare disease accounting for less than 1% of all cancers and with an age-standardized incidence of less than 1 per 100 000 men-years in Italy (source Globocan 2021). Conversely, the incidence of this cancer is remarkably higher in other geographical areas such as South America, India, and South Africa reaching more than 7 per 100 000 men-years.
There are several predisposing factors that have been linked with the risk of developing penile cancer. First and foremost, human papillomavirus (HPV) infection that has been linked with more than 50% of the new cases of penile cancer. Additionally, age, phimosis, poor personal hygiene, promiscuity and tobacco consume have been correlated with higher risk of developing penile cancer in men.
Penile cancer is an insidious disease which may go unnoticed especially in older and debilitated men until they develop systemic symptoms.
In patients with a tumor localized to the penis, the disease can be controlled and cured with surgical treatment alone. Conversely, when the tumor involves the inguinal lymph nodes or spreads to distant organs, surgery alone is unlikely to cure the cancer and combined treatments including surgery, chemo, and radiotherapy are required. Accordingly, also the prognosis of patients may vary considerably according with the stage of the cancer. A tumor confined to the penis presents long-term survival and has high chances of cure. Conversely, patients with metastatic diseases have few months of life expectancy. For these reasons, any suspicious lesion of the penis should be promptly investigated by experts to rule out the presence of malignancy.
