Cancer of the penis is a tumor that can carry a great risk for the male reproductive system. This affects 8 out of every 100,000 men in the world, with Spain being the country with the highest incidence in Europe.
Cancer of the penis is a tumor with a lower prevalence compared to other types of cancer of the male reproductive system such as prostate and testicular cancer.
East affects 8 out of every 100,000 men in the world, being diagnosed around 450 new cases a year in Spain.
The highest incidence in the world is found in Brazil. Interestingly, according to the European Urology guidelines, the highest incidence of penile cancer in Europe is found in our countrymore specifically in the province of Albacete.
The age at which penile cancer usually debuts is variable, but the peak incidence usually occurs around the sixth decade of life.
To learn more about penile cancer we have spoken with the Dr. Borja García, specialist in urology at the private clinic ROC Clinic.
How is it diagnosed?
“The diagnosis is eminently clinical,” says the doctor. There are no blood markers and it is not usual to use imaging tests, although there are cases in which it is used to rule out metastasis.
A specialist physically analyzes the patient, perceiving whether the lesion on the penis is cancer or not. You can also use a PET, a non-invasive diagnostic technique that allows you to take images of the patient’s body that show the activity and metabolism of the body’s organs.
“In some cases it will be necessary to confirm with a biopsy. In other cases, the treatment, which is exeresis, will give us the diagnosis»
reports the urologist.
There are different subtypes of penile cancer depending on the cells that produce it.
The most common is squamous cell carcinoma, which comprises around 50-60% of cases of penile cancer.
What are your symptoms and your risk?
The symptoms are usually quite obvious, according to the doctor.
“Any abnormality that appears on the penis, any red or cauliflower-like lesion should be evaluated by a specialist to rule out penile cancer”
advise.
The penis is made up of various types of tissue and the type of cancer depends on the type of cell where it develops.
90% of penile cancers usually develop through squamous cells that can appear anywhere on the penis, being more common areas such as the glans or the foreskin.
This type of cancer can be very dangerous if not detected early. An early diagnosis allows “treatment to be less aggressive and simpler, as well as more effective,” the expert tells us.
“Penis cancer partially responds to radiotherapy, but when the tumor is very extensive, chemo systems do not respond well. If it is diagnosed early, survival rates will be high, otherwise they will fall drastically”
points out the specialist.
How can it be prevented?
In cases of phimosis, which prevent full exposure of the glans, inflammations are formed that in the long term favor the appearance of penile cancerbeing “circumcision the best way to prevent it,” says the expert.
What is your treatment?
This tumor has a slow growth, reason why it is necessary to go to exploration before any symptom that allows diagnosing it to eliminate it in time.
“Treatment is usually its exeresis, the removal of it with margins. We must make sure that there is healthy adjacent tissue so that the tumor does not progress and is completely eliminated”
explains Borja Garcia.
Depending on the situation and the characteristics of the cancer of the penis that is suffered, and its size and its progress, there are different treatments.
“We have surgeries depending on where you are located. If it is on the foreskin, a circumcision may be enough and if it is on the glans, amputations of the glans may be necessary.”
points out the specialist in urology.
In the case of a more superficial tumor «conservative treatments are usually resorted to, such as CO2 laser or mucosal exeresis with which the mucosa is replaced with a skin graft to give the penis a much more normal appearance ».
What is reconstructive surgery?
Urination is also affected in this surgery. Depending on the case, different interventions can be made.
According to the specialist, in the event that it is not possible to preserve the urethra, or to perform a neourethra in the neophallus (new penis after amputation), “it is resorted to opening it below the testicles, forcing the patient to urinate sitting down since the hole is behind the testicles.”
“In other cases, a new urethra can be made in that graft, allowing the patient to urinate exactly as if he had the original penis”
indicates the doctor.
What happens to fertility and sexuality after penile cancer?
Before surgery, it is possible to preserve semen before the intervention or extract it later “accessing the testicles with a biopsy and extracting the semen from them”.
In the case of sexuality, this will depend on the degree of cancer and surgery that is performed.
Although penile cancer is a rare tumor, its symptoms must be known, since early diagnosis plays an important role. As well as the role played by prevention, since part of these tumors arise from the root of avoidable causes.
0 Comments:
Publicar un comentario