Circumcision is an operation where the surgeon partially or completely removes the foreskin of the penis. The foreskin is the skin covering the tip of the penis. Circumcision is performed on many male babies, before they live maternity. It is recommended for you to seek the advice of a doctor if you notice any of the following symptoms: - tumefaction or injuries (sores) on the penis - an unusual and liquid secretion (abnormal leakage) from the penis - bleeding.
If there are symptoms of cancer, the doctor will examine the penis and will feel the area to inspect if there are any signs of tumefaction. If the aspect of the penis is not normal, or if the doctor, upon palpation, feels tumefaction, then they will collect a tissue sample from the penis (a procedure called a biopsy), which will later be analyzed under a microscope to see if there are any cancerous or malignant cells present in the sample.
The prognosis (odds for a cure) and the choice of treatment depend on the stage of the cancer (whether it is localized solely in the penis or it has disseminated to other areas) and the general health of the patient.
Stages - Once the cancer of the penis is detected, there will be several tests to see of the cancer cells have disseminated from the penis to other regions of the body. The doctor needs to know the exact stage of the disease in order to set up a treatment schedule.
The following stages are used for cancer of the penis:
Stage I - The cancer cells are only found on the surface of the gland (at the tip of the penis) and in the foreskin (the mobile skin that covers the tip of the penis).
Stage II - The cancer cells are found in the deep tissues of the gland and have spread throughout the entire axis of the penis (in elongated, thin cylinders of tissue within the penis, which contain a sponge-like tissue and which stretch to produce an erection).
Stage III - The cancer cells are found in the penis and have disseminated to the neighboring lymph nodes, in the inguinal area. (the lymph nodes are structures of small size, shaped like beans, spread throughout the entire body; they produce and store cells that fight against infections).
Stage IV - The cancer cells are found in the entire penis and in the lymph nodes in the inguinal area and/or have disseminated to other parts of the body.
Recurrent - Recurrent affliction means that that the cancer has reappeared after having been treated. It can reoccur in the same area or in a different area.
Treatment - All patients with cancer of the penis can be treated. At the moment there are four types of treatment used against this disease: - surgical (removal of the cancer through an operation) - radiotherapy (the use of x rats in high amounts or other high energy rays, to destroy the cancerous cells and to shrink the size of the tumors) - chemotherapy (the use of medicine to destroy the cancer cells) - biological therapy (strengthens the immune system to allow it a greater fighting chance against the cancer).