Check regularly for cancer

Penile cancer develops within the skin or soft tissues of the penis.

It is one of the rare cancers but if found early, the chances of curing it are high.

Penile cancer can develop anywhere on the penis (including the soft tissue) but most commonly it develops:

Under the foreskin in men who have not been circumcised.

On the head of the penis.

There are several types of penile cancer, including:

Epidermoid or squamous cell carcinoma. 95 percent of penile cancer is epidermoid, or squamous cell, carcinoma. This means the cells look like the tissues that make up skin when looked at with a microscope. Squamous cell carcinoma can begin anywhere on the penis, however, most develop on or under the foreskin. When found at an early stage, epidermoid carcinoma can usually be cured.

Basal cell penile cancer. Under the squamous cells in the lower epidermis (one of the layers of the skin tissues that cover the penis) are round cells called basal cells. These can sometimes become cancerous. This is also called non-melanoma skin cancer. Less than two percent of penile cancers are basal cell cancers.

Melanoma. The deepest layer of the epidermis contains scattered cells called melanocytes, which make the melanin that gives skin its colour. Melanoma starts in melanocytes and it is the most serious type of the skin cancer. This cancer sometimes occurs on the surface of the penis.

Adenocarcinoma means that the cancer started in the glandular cells that produce sweat in the skin of the penis. This type is much rarer than squamous cell penile cancer. Only about five in 100 penile cancers are adenocarcinomas.

Sarcoma. About one percent of penile cancers are sarcomas, which are cancers that develop in the tissues that support and connect the body, such as blood vessels, smooth muscle and fat.

Once a penile cancer is found, it is necessary to perform more tests to see if the tumour has spread so that appropriate treatment can be recommended. These may involve imaging studies such as CT scans or MRI scans, or procedures such as a cystoscopy.

The extent of the tumour spread is also referred to as the ‘stage’. The stage helps guide the doctor’s recommendations regarding the optimal treatment for the penile cancer as well as the prognosis.

The staging system for penile cancer is the ‘TNM’ system, described by the American Joint Committee on Cancer. The ‘T’ describes the size or invasiveness of the tumour; the ‘N’ describes the spread of the tumour to any glands, or lymph nodes, near the tumour. The ‘M’ describes any distant spread, or metastasis, to other organs or sites of the body.

Grade, or how well the tumour cells are organised, is also used in making treatment decisions, but is not included in the official ‘TNM’ staging system.

Signs and symptoms of penile cancer include:

The first sign of penis cancer is often a change in colour of the skin of the penis.

Another sign may be skin thickening, the appearance of a painless nodule or a warty growth, specifically on the glans penis or foreskin.

Swelling at the end of the penis.

Later signs may include a growth or sore on the penis, especially on the head of the penis or the foreskin, but also sometimes on the shaft of the penis.

There may be a discharge or bleeding.

Most penile cancers are painless.

Any abnormality of the penis, including warts, blisters, sores, ulcers, white patches, rash or bumps.

Sometimes the cancers appear as flat, bluish-brown growths, or as a red rash, or small crusty bumps.

These changes may occur with conditions other than cancer. Penis cancer is easier to treat if it is diagnosed early.

Partially or completely removing the penis is often the most effective way to cure penile cancer, but for many men this cure seems worse than the disease.

It is natural for a man facing treatment for penile cancer to suffer mental distress, depression and feelings of grief or despair.

The better one can anticipate and prepare for these feelings in advance, the better the quality of life will be following treatment. Seek referral to a counsellor, who can help sort through feelings to adjust to a ‘new’ body.

Men in the Bedfordview and Edenvale areas are reminded that the NEWS, together with Hirsch’s Meadowdale, are holding a competition to crown the ultimate Mo Bro.

The winner will receive a Weber One-touch 57cm braai.

To enter the competition, email a before and after photo of your moustache to Daniel Seleme at dseleme@caxton.co.za or like the www.facebook.com/bedfordviewandedenvalenewsFacebook page and share your photo on the page by midnight on November 26.

The photos we receive by email will be uploaded onto the News’ Facebook page, for the community to vote for their favourite Mo Bro.

Voting will open at 12-noon on November 27 and close midnight on November 28.

For more information, contact Daniel on 011 916-5349.