Any of the following features can be considered e penile cancer symptom. It is recommended that you consult a doctor if you see any of the following problems, even if you might not think they are a penile cancer symptom: swelling or little sores on the penis, an unusual secretion of fluid from the penis (abnormal leakage) and bleeding from the penis.
If you see any penile cancer symptom, the specialist will examine the penis, will feel around to check if there are any swellings. If the penis does not look or feel normal, or if the doctors feels a bump on the penis, they will take a sample of tissue from the penis, in a procedure called a biopsy, and later the tissue will be checked under a microscope, looking for the presence of malignant cells, namely cancer cells, which are “undead” cells that develop in an uncontrolled fashion.
The chances for a complete cure and the choice of an adequate treatment depends on the expansion and development of the cancer and the general state of the patient’s health. All patients suffering from penile cancer can be treated, using one or more of four methods of treatment:- surgical treatment, which involves the removal of the tumor through a surgical operation; - radiation therapy, which involves the use of x rays and other high energy beams targeting the cancerous cells and aiming to shrink the tumors; - chemotherapy, which is basically the use of medicine meant to destroy the malignant cells; - biological therapy, which hardens the body’s immune system, helping it to put up a better fight against the cancer.
Surgical treatment is the most common form of fighting the tumor in all the stages of the penile cancer.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy employs x rays or other types of rays with high energy, bombarding the cancerous cells in a bid to shrink the tumor.
Radiation bombardment can be performed using a device outside the body or using some radioactive materials, which are inserted within the areas where the cancer cells are active, or within the tumor itself. This type of treatment can be used on its own or after surgical intervention.
Chemotherapy - This is a form of treatment that uses specific drugs mean to destroy cancerous cells. There is a cream, with fluorouracil, which is sometimes used in cases of penile cancer with a very narrow surface of expansion. Also, chemo can be administered as pills or intravenous injections.
Biological therapy
This form of treatment tries to buff-up the body and help it fight the cancer on its own. This therapy uses materials produced by the body or synthesized in a lab, to directly strengthen or restore the mechanisms or natural defenses of the body against the disease. Biological treatment is sometimes called biological response modification therapy.