Penile Mass: When Should Someone Worry and Seek Care?

Objectives: We present a summary of penile cancer, its epidemiology, risk factors, and possible clinical presentations. We discuss a range of penile lesions that indicate an underlying penile malignancy. We also consider some nonmalignant penile lesions that may be confused with penile cancer.
Data Sources: Sources of information include original research articles, review journal articles, and textbooks, which have been referenced in the article.
Conclusion: Penile cancer is a rare disease, although geographical variations exist. Due to this rarity, many health care professionals may overlook a diagnosis of penile cancer. Malignant penile lesions may often be confused with benign lesions and vice versa. One needs to have a high index of suspicion to not overlook this important diagnosis.
Implications for Nursing Practice: Referral to specialists should be made if malignancy is suspected, if the diagnosis is uncertain, or if the lesion persists despite reasonable treatment with steroids and other creams.
Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest BA is a member of the joint EAU-ASCO penile cancer guidelines panel.
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