Epidemiology of Cancer of the Penis

Abstract

Cancer of the penis is a serious health problem in many parts of the world. Most penile cancers (Fig. 1) are epidermoid or squamous cell (Fig. 2) carcinomas of the glans or prepuce (17, 19, 69, 70). Rarer types include melanoma (9, 31), basal cell carcinoma (28) (Fig. 3), sarcomas (35, 39, 41), endotheliomas (5, 21), and metastases from other parts of the body (1, 71, 73). Verrucous carcinoma, or Buschke-Löwenstein giant condyloma (Fig. 4) may represent an intermediary stage between penile condyloma (Fig. 5) and epidermoid carcinoma (10). Erythroplasia of Queyrat (Fig. 6), leukoplakia, and Bowen’s disease (Fig. 7) have been considered precancerous lesions (11, 33, 36, 42, 50, 62, 67, 70, 72).