Many are afraid to hear the diagnosis "Oncology", although cancer is not always a fatal sentence. This article will talk about such a dangerous disease as cancer of the male genital organ, methods of diagnosis and treatment.
Symptoms of disease
The most common symptoms of penile cancer are changes in the skin of the penis, such as hardening and swelling in the area. Another alarming symptom of a dangerous disease is a change in the color of the skin of the penis.
Let's look at the most common signs of penile cancer:
- Changes in the appearance of the skin of the penis, such as color.
- Discharge, sometimes with a rather unpleasant odor.
- Swollen patches, swelling, reddish rash, lumps or lumps that are unnatural in color.
- Unexplained pain in the penis.
- Bleeding in the genital area.
- Swollen lymph nodes in the groin (inguinal adenopathy).
Penile cancer often looks like unnaturally colored warts covered withscab.
Early detection of cancer
These symptoms can also occur with other diseases that are not cancerous, so be sure to consult your doctor, since cancers at the initial stage also have these symptoms. If the doctor detects symptoms of cancer, a physical examination and a biopsy will be performed, which involves taking cells from the affected area of the penis for examination and diagnosis.
Almost all penile cancers develop first in the head of the penis (cancer of the glans penis) or on the skin under the foreskin (uncircumcised).
Cancer rarely develops on the main axis of the penis. Therefore, it can only be detected when the foreskin is pulled back. As a rule, the first symptom of penile cancer is a discoloration of the skin of the head or foreskin. Damaged skin may also thicken or become unnaturally red. The affected area of skin then gradually turns into a small flat lump (often bluish-brown in color) or an ulcer, and there is also the possibility that the affected tissue will bleed. It usually does not cause acute pain. In some cases, in the early stages of cancer, small bumps with a crust may appear.
A photo of penile cancer can be shocking.
Terminal symptoms
If left untreated, cancer tends to develop and spread to the entire surface of the glans penisand/or foreskin. And then it spreads to the deeper tissues of the penis and to other parts of the body, where it can cause other symptoms. Men tend to feel embarrassed or fearful at the first symptoms and may not see a doctor until the cancer becomes apparent, so it is important to report any changes to the doctor.
Traditional symptoms of penile cancer in the last stages (third or fourth stage):
- Swelling in the groin (due to lymph nodes).
- Inflammation.
- Fatigue.
- Abdominal pain.
- Bone pain.
- Losing weight for no apparent reason.
Types of oncological diseases of the male genital organ
There are six different types of penile cancer:
- Squamous cell carcinoma. This is a squamous cell type of penile cancer in men. Is the most common. Often develops on the foreskin or glans penis.
- Warty carcinoma. May appear as a wart on the penis and is usually limited to the penis and does not spread to other parts of the body.
- Adenocarcinoma. Develops from the sweat glands of the skin.
- Melanoma. It originates from cells called melanocytes (which give the skin its dark color). In rare cases, it can develop very quickly.
- Basal cell cancer. Develops in skin cells. This type of cancer progresses slowly and is usually localized without progression to otherbody area.
- Sarcoma. It is formed in the connective tissue of the penis. This is a very rare disease, considered intractable.
Causes of disease development
In most cases, the causes of penile cancer are not known to modern science. However, there are factors that are known to increase the risk of developing cancer. They include:
- Age. This type of cancer is most common among men over fifty.
- Many cases of cancer are associated with the human papillomavirus.
- Some diseases of the skin of the foreskin can increase the risk of penile cancer in the future, such as erythroplasia of Queirat and xerotic obliterans balanitis (specific lichen of the glans penis). Both diseases are quite rare.
- Phimosis in adult men and, accordingly, the lack of hygiene of the foreskin. Phimosis is the impossibility of exposing the head of the penis due to the narrowness of the foreskin.
- Circumcision performed on a boy that robs an organ of protection against cancer.
Influence of human papillomavirus
After suffering infections caused by the herpes virus or the human papillomavirus (HPV), the risk of penile cancer increases. There are many strains of HPV. Two types of strain (HPV 16 and HPV 18) are the causes of the development of penile carcinoma in most cases. These strains are almost alwaystransmitted sexually from an infected person. Infections from one of these strains usually do not have any symptoms.
Thus, it is impossible to know which of the sexual partners is infected. In some men, strains of the human papillomavirus that can cause cancer have a detrimental effect on the cells of the penis. This makes the cells more prone to mutation. After many years, they can turn into cancer. Within two years, in 9 out of 10 cases of infection, the papillomavirus is completely removed from the body. This means that most people infected with these strains of HPV will never develop penile cancer.
What to do if symptoms occur
If one or more symptoms are found, a doctor should be consulted, who will firstly examine the penis to assess damage and check for lymph nodes and groin inflammation. To diagnose and make an accurate diagnosis, the patient will have to undergo the following examinations:
- Biopsy of the tissues of the penis. This procedure consists in extracting a small piece of organ tissue. Sometimes tissues of the lymph nodes of the inguinal region are also removed. It may take two weeks to wait for the biopsy result.
- Magnetic resonance imaging of the penis to assess the stage of cancer.
- Computed tomography of the chest, abdomen and pelvis.
These medical studies can provide detailed information about the structure of internal organs.
Sexual cancer treatmentmember
Doctors recommend surgery in most cases. The type of surgery depends on the size of the tumor and its location in the penis. If this carcinoma is small and affects only the skin of the penis, then the tumor and a small amount of normal tissue can be removed. However, if the cancer is already at an advanced stage, part of the penis may need to be removed or even completely amputated.
Reconstructive surgery is the best option for many men with this cancer. The surgical oncologist will need to discuss the various types of reconstructive surgery in more detail with the patient. Lymph nodes in the groin are usually also removed during surgery. In addition to surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy may be used to make sure that any remaining cancer cells have died. If the cancer is in its early stages and only on the head of the penis, doctors sometimes prescribe a special anti-cancer cream to kill diseased cells.
Excellent results can be achieved by the method of laser microsurgery, which does not significantly affect the sexual life and urination of men. After surgery, the life of patients is more than five years.
Stages of disease progression
Cancer of the penis can be detected at various stages depending on the progression of the disease, from the first stage, when the cancer is limited to the skin of the penis, to the fourth stage, where the lymph nodes in the pelvis or other parts of the body expand. Cancer cells may bedifferent stages of development during the study by biopsy. The disease can occur in four stages:
- 1st stage (initial). The cells look fairly normal, and tend to grow and multiply very slowly and are not as aggressive.
- 2nd stage (middle).
- 3rd stage. Cancer cells look very unusual and, medically speaking, are poorly differentiated, tend to grow and multiply very quickly, and are more aggressive.
- At the fourth stage, metastases can spread to other parts of the body and organs, this is the last stage of penile cancer.
Each stage takes a different amount of time to develop. A disease of this nature can develop for quite a long time, or it can progress at lightning speed, leaving no chance for the patient. It all depends on the nature of the disease and the state of the human body. Information about the stage and extent of the disease helps doctors choose the best treatment option.
Prognosis of the possibility of recovery
There is a chance of a cure for this disease if penile cancer is diagnosed and treated when it is in its early stages (limited to the penis and does not spread to the lymph nodes). In general, the later the diagnosis is made, the more advanced the stage of the cancer, the worse the prognosis. Even if there is no cure for cancer, treatment can often slow the progression of cancer. Most penile cancer treatments do not affect the ability to have sex, even if requiredoperation.
Prevalence of this type of disease
Penile cancer in general is uncommon among men in Europe and North America, but is relatively common in men in East Asia, South America and Africa. In Russia, the incidence is only 0.3%, and in the USA - 0.4%. The average age of patients is about sixty years, among those under the age of eighteen, this disease has not been detected.
