Cancer of the penis is a malignant growth of cells in the tissue and/or external area of the penis. Penis cancer is a very rare disease that is generally an aggressive form of cancer that has a tendency to spread.
Cancer of the penis or penile cancer is a rare disease in which cancer cells or malignant cells are found on the external skin and in the tissues of the penis. It is generally an aggressive form of cancer that has a tendency to spread. Penile cancer is relatively rare in Western countries; In some South Asian countries, Africa and South America, however it ranks first among malignancies. Although this type of cancer is rare, it is estimated that more than 75% of people older that 60 years are affected by penile cancer. It usually responds well to treatment, and many patients can be cured. The penis is the external male organ that contains many types of tissue, like skin, nerves, and blood vessels. Penile cancer evolves from a disruption in one or more genes in a cell's DNA. Genes control cell activities including division and growth. When cells die, they are replaced by new cells as the body needs them. However, when the genes that orchestrate this natural replacement process are disrupted by chemicals, illness, or other unknown factors, control over cell division and growth is lost. The resultant uncontrolled mass of tissue is a tumor. The tumor spreads gradually becoming larger in the area of the skin where it first develops. Ultimately, it spreads to deep tissues inside the body of the penis and to lymph nodes in the groin or pelvis. Different types of penile cancer can develop in each kind of cell.

If your physician suspects that you have penile cancer, he may refer you to a urologist, a doctor who specializes in the genitourinary tract. Like most cancers, cancer of the penis is easiest to treat if it is diagnosed early. If left untreated, it will spread slowly across the skin and invade deeper layers of tissue.To diagnose penile cancer, the urologist asks about personal and family medical history and does a complete medical exam. The doctor may examine the patient's penis for lumps, open sores or any other abnormalities. If the cancer has spread to the lymph node,s they may be enlarged.
To make a firm diagnosis, the doctor may suggest a biopsy, in which a small piece of the offending area is taken out, and is sent for histopathological diagnosis, in which the pathologist visualizes the tissue section under the microscope and tells you conclusively whether it is a cancer or not. In penile cancer, incisional or excisional biopsy is performed to obtain the diagnosis. If the results confirm a diagnosis of cancer, the doctor will perform additional tests to determine whether the disease has spread to other parts of the body. This process is called staging.

The treatment of male urethral cancer is surgery. The extent of the surgery depends upon the location and stage of the tumor. Radiation is usually reserved for those patients with early stage lesions of the anterior urethra who refuse surgery. Chemotherapy has shown promise in those with metastatic urethral cancer and is being integrated into therapy for those with locally advanced disease. In females, urethral cancer surgery is the primary modality of therapy. However, radiation therapy plays a larger role in treatment of this disease than in male cancer. Unfortunately, neither of these modalities alone produces an acceptable morbidity rate and low tumor recurrence rate. Due to the inadequacy of these procedures, chemotherapy in conjunction with radiation and/or surgery is being investigated. Long term results of studies are being awaited.
For either male or female urethral cancer, if the patient is willing, and an investigative study is available, participation should be encouraged. In penile cancer, surgery is used for control of the primary tumor and also to control the inguinal lymph node bearing regions. Radiation therapy to the penis may work best in patients with low stage disease. In these patients, if prophylactic or therapeutic lymph node dissection cannot be performed, external beam radiation to the inguinal and pelvic lymph nodes should be considered.
Chemotherapy used in penile cancer is dependent upon the histology of the lesion. For those lesions which appear as transitional cell cancers, bladder cancer chemotherapy agents should be considered. For squamous cell cancer of the penis, there is some suggestion that cytotoxic therapy is beneficial. In those patients with locally advanced disease, combined modality therapy with neoadjuvant chemotherapy should be considered.