Penile Cancer in North- Eastern Nigeria

Abstract

Penile cancer is a rare disease in Europe and America. In 1979, it formed just 0.1% of Genito-Urinary Tract cancers in the Cancer Registry of the University College Hospital Ibadan. A retrospective study was carried out to analyze cases of carcinoma of the penis that was presented at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) from 1991 to 1999. There were 19 cases, aged 25 – 90 years, with a mean of 62.7 years. Almost all were in circumcised patients. The average age at circumcision was 10.8 years. The average number of wives was 18.6. All has multiple sex partners apart from their many wives. Venereal diseases were common among the sufferers. The duration of the ailments was 3 months to 8 years. All but 2 tried concoctions from traditional medicine men prior to a visit to our hospital. Ulcerated penile masses of varied sizes, some mobile, some fungating and fixed, were the main presenting complains. Some had excisional biopsies, some partial or total penectomies, while the others had both penectomies and orchidectomes. Histopathological reports confirmed squamous cell carcinoma in all the cases. The postoperative results were good to very good. The follow-up period was 2 to 12 months. Two had recurrence, one almost immediately and the other 8 months post surgery. Only one (5.3%), of the cases was not circumcised. Therefore, the cause of the cancer must be sought in the multiple sex partners with antecedent recurrent venereal diseases e.g. human Papilomavirus (HPV). Due to some factors such as embarrassment of the problem and low socio-economic conditions, a good number of penile cancers might go unreported.


Key Words: Penis, Circumcision, Sexual Promiscuity


[Mary Slessor Jnl of Medicine Vol.3(1) 2003: 39-46]