The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that less than 1500 men develop penile cancer each year and 200 die in the United States. The rate in this country is 1 in 100,000 men, according to ACS. In other some parts of the world where men are exposed to more UV light, the rate tends to be higher. In some parts of South America and Africa, up to 10 percent of the cancers in men are penile cancer due to the exposure of UV light, according to American Cancer Society (ACS) statistics.
ACS says that 95 percent of penile cancers come from flat, scalelike skin cells called squamous cells. They tend to develop slowly and when caught early are most easily cured. ACS says they can develop anywhere on the penis but tend to show up on the foreskin or under the foreskin which are the glands. This may be one reason foreskin provides some protection since; when there is no foreskin present, cancer can not develop on more functional parts of the penis; therefore would be worst.
Another 2 percent of penile cancers develop in the pigment producing cells of the skin on the penis. These are called melanomas, according to ACS. Basel cell cancers are the most common form of skin cancer and account to the vast majority of skin cancers found on places that are exposed to the sun, but account for less that 2 percent of penile cancers. The last 1 percent of penile cancers, according to ACS, involves sarcomas that arise from the blood vessels, smooth muscles and other parts of the penis.
The penis is the external male genital organ. It contains several types of tissue, including skin, nerves, smooth muscle, and blood vessels. Running through the inside of the penis is the urethra, the tube through which urine and semen exit the body. The head of the penis is called the glans. At birth, the glans is covered by a piece of skin called the foreskin, or prepuce. The foreskin is often removed in an operation called circumcision. Inside the penis are 3 chambers that contain a soft, spongy network of blood vessels. Two of these cylinder-shaped chambers, known as the corpora cavernosa, lie on either side of the upper part of the penis. The third lies below them and is known as the corpus spongiosum. This chamber widens at its end to form the glans. The corpus spongiosum surrounds the urethra, a tube that carries urine from the bladder through the penis. The opening at the end of the urethra is called the meatus.
When you get an erection, nerves signal your body to store blood in the vessels inside the corpora cavernosa and corpus spongiosum. As the blood fills the chamber, the spongy tissue expands, causing the penis to elongate and stiffen. After ejaculation, the blood flows out of the penis, and it becomes soft again. Each of the tissues in the penis contains several types of cells; each of these tissues and cells has an important role in the function of the penis. Different types of penile cancer (cancer of the penis) can develop in each kind of cell.
The differences are important because they determine the seriousness of the cancer and the type of treatment needed.
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The prognosis (chance of recovery) and choice of treatment depend on the stage of the cancer (whether it is just in the penis or has spread to other places), and the patient's general state of health.
Cancer cells are found only on the surface of the glands (the head of the penis) and on the foreskin (the loose skin that covers the head of the penis).
Cancer cells are found in the deeper tissues of the glands and have spread to the shaft of the penis the long, (slender cylinders of tissue inside the penis that contain spongy tissue and expand to produce erections.)
Cancer cells are found in the penis and have spread to nearby lymph nodes in the groin. (Lymph nodes are small bean-shaped structures that are found throughout the body; they produce and store infection-fighting cells).
Cancer cells are found throughout the penis and the lymph nodes in the groin and/or have spread to other parts of the body.
Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back (recurred) after it has been treated. It may come back in the same area or in another place.
Treatment for cancer of the penis depends on the stage of your disease, the type of disease, your age, and your overall condition. You may receive treatment that is considered standard based on its effectiveness in a number of patients in past studies, or you may choose to go into a clinical trial. Not all patients are cured with standard therapy and some standard treatments may have more side effects than are desired. For these reasons, clinical trials are designed to find better ways to treat cancer patients and are based on the most up-to-date information. Clinical trials are going on in many parts of the country for most stages of cancer of the penis.
Over-exposure to UV rays can be damaging so use protection TAN SMARTLY