Penile carcinoma

The majority (95%) are a squamous cell carcinoma. They are rare in the UK but are frequent in the Far East and African countries. The tumour arises from the inner surface of the foreskin or glans penis in the region of the coronal sulcus i.e. between glans and prepuce. It spreads locally and frequently invades the distal urethra. The inguinal lymph nodes are commonly involved, often bilaterally, but blood borne spread is rare and late.

The condition may start as leucoplakia on the glans or may develop from an in-situ carcinoma - erythroplasia of Queryat (1)

Carcinoma is rare in the circumcised (1).

1 in 493 UK males will be diagnosed with penile cancer in their lifetime (2)

• are around 760 new penile cancer cases in the UK every year, that's nearly 2 every day (2017-2019)
• penile cancer accounts for less than 1% of all new cancer cases in males in the UK (2019)
• incidence rates for penile cancer in the UK are highest in males aged 90+ (2017-2019). Since the early 1990s, penile cancer incidence rates have increased by almost a quarter (23%) in males in the UK
• over the last decade, penile cancer incidence rates have increased by around a fifth (21%) in males in the UK. Most penis cancers occur in the glans penis

Reference:

1. Brouwer OR et al. ST. European Association of Urology-American Society of Clinical Oncology Collaborative Guideline on Penile Cancer: 2023 Update. Eur Urol. 2023 Jun;83(6):548-560
2. CRUK. Penile Cancer Statistics (Online 2025)