THOUGH penis cancer remains rare, experts have sounded the alarm over a worrying rise in cases. Researchers say penile cancer cases across the world could increase by up to 77 per cent by 2050. Although developing countries are bearing the brunt of this worrying trend, they observed an significant increase in "most European countries".
The NHS says there are around 760 cases of penile cancer in the UK each year . Yet that number is up 28 per cent on cases in the 1990s — and Cancer Research UK predicts the figure will hit 1,100 a year by 2040. According to Dr Colin Michie, deputy lead at the University of Central Lancashire's School of Medicine, ageing populations are a major driver of cases.
"Other risk factors include a narrowed foreskin, poor genital hygiene and smoking tobacco," he added, writing in The Conversation . Penile cancer can often be mistaken for an STI in its early stages and usually makes itself known through a sore on the penis that doesn't heal or a strong-smelling discharge. But due to the intimate nature of the disease, many men may delay getting treatment out of shame.
Dr Michie said: "Diagnosing penis cancer is often delayed because patients experience guilt or embarrassment "Many men report self-medicating with antimicrobial or steroid creams while putting off an appointment with a doctor. "Doctors often contribute to delays, too, as lesions are sometimes wrongly classified as benign. If malignant cells have spread to the groin lymph glands, the chanc.
