Causes and risk factors of penile cancer
What are risk factors?
If you are worried about penile cancer and would like to talk to someone, we're here. You can:
- Call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00.
- Chat to our specialists online.
The human papilloma virus (HPV)
HPV is a common virus that most sexually active people have been exposed to. Some types of HPV increase the risk of certain cancers. But most people with HPV never develop cancer.
HPV infection is often found in penile cancer. Some types of HPV cause genital warts, which increase the risk of penile cancer.
Having a tight foreskin
Penile cancer is more common if you have a tight foreskin that does not pull back easily (phimosis). The reason for this is not known. It may be because having a tight foreskin can make it difficult to pull back the skin to clean the penis.
Penile cancer is less common if you are circumcised (have all or part of your foreskin removed).
Certain skin conditions
Some skin conditions that affect the penis, such as lichen sclerosus, may develop into cancer if they are not treated.
Always see your GP if you have:
- white or red scaly patches on the head of the penis
- moist red patches of skin on the penis.
Age
About our information
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References
Below is a sample of the sources used in our penile cancer information. If you would like more information about the sources we use, please contact us at cancerinformationteam@macmillan.org.uk
EAU Guidelines: Penile Cancer (accessed 2018). Available from: uroweb.org/guideline/penile-cancer
Penile cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and follow up (accessed 2018). Available from: www.annalsofoncology.org/article/S0923-7534(19)31556-X/pdf
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Reviewers
This information has been written, revised and edited by Macmillan Cancer Support’s Cancer Information Development team. It has been reviewed by expert medical and health professionals and people living with cancer. It has been approved by Senior Medical Editor, Dr Ursula McGovern, Consultant Medical Oncologist.
Our cancer information has been awarded the PIF TICK. Created by the Patient Information Forum, this quality mark shows we meet PIF’s 10 criteria for trustworthy health information.
Content under review
The language we use
We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.
We try to make sure our information is as clear as possible. We use plain English, avoid jargon, explain any medical words, use illustrations to explain text, and make sure important points are highlighted clearly.
We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected. Our aims are for our information to be as clear and relevant as possible for everyone.
You can read more about how we produce our information here.