PROPHYLAXIS OF PENILE CARCINOMA

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to establish the fact that penile carcinoma is a preventable disease. Evidence that prophylaxis can be established has long been demonstrated in the medical literature. It has been shown that smegma is a carcinogenic agent and, when harbored beneath the foreskin, can produce carcinoma of the penis. In addition there is indirect evidence that carcinoma of the cervix may have a similar origin. <h3>INCIDENCE</h3> The incidence of penile carcinoma has been variously estimated at from 2 to 5 per cent of all carcinoma in males in the United States and Great Britain. Ewell¹states that the majority of cases occur when the patient is between 40 and 60 years of age; however, it is not uncommon before 40 years. Wolbarst²estimates that 225 Americans die annually of penile carcinoma, as do about 150 Britons in England and Wales. Lenowitz and Graham³