Few things make a man more nervous than the possibility of something seriously wrong with his penis - and things rarely get more serious than cancer. Where penis health is concerned, worry about cancer is way up there. Fortunately, penis cancer is rare, responsible for only about 1% of all cancer cases in men. But that doesn't decrease its ability to strike fear in a man. And some men may have become especially concerned recently when articles began appearing that seem to link a bent penis to an increased likelihood of contracting cancer.
The study
These articles were largely based on a study published in the medical journal Fertility & Sterility. The data was first presented at the American Society for Reproductive Cancer Scientific Congress.
Entitled "Increased risk of cancer among men with Peyronie's disease," the study examined whether there was a clinical link between Peyronie's disease and genetically-linked conditions, such as cancer. It was a retrospective cohort study, which means that it looked at existing data among a group of men and mined the data for information (as opposed to setting up a new test among a group or groups of people and seeing the results of this new test).
The study looked at more than 48,000 men with Peyronie's disease, a condition in which a man experiences a severely bent penis rather than the simple curvature many men experience. In most cases, the severely bent penis is due to a build-up of fibrous scar tissue, or plaque, often from the penis having been traumatized by rough handling. The study also looked at more than 1,100,000 men with erectile dysfunction and at more than 480,000 "controls" who had neither a bent penis nor erectile issues.
The results
When the scientists sifted through the data, it indicated that men with Peyronie's disease have a significantly increased risk for developing cancer, including penis cancer (specifically, a 40% greater risk).
Those results may seem alarming; several men reading this have probably already checked to see if their member is bent. But it's important to remember that this study was looking at men with Peyronie's disease, not at men whose penis curves a bit but not at such an angle as to be concerning.
And even for men who do indeed have a severely bent penis, there's no cause to panic. In the first place, this is only one study; many more are needed to see if the conclusions it comes to are replicated in other studies. And while the study identifies a link, it may be more complicated than simply saying Peyronie's increases cancer risk. And even if there is an increased risk, that in no way means a man with a bent penis is sure to get cancer.
That said, men with Peyronie's disease may want to look at this study as a reminder to keep on top of their penis health. They may want to bring up this study with their doctor and ask if there is anything they can do to monitor for early signs of cancer.
