Penile Cancer
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Penile cancer is a rare cancer. Around 600 men a year are diagnosed with it in the UK. St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of around 15 UK specialist units that treat this cancer. We are referred men with penile cancer from South London, South East England, Wessex and Essex.
Men who smoke, who have had human papilloma virus infection and/or have a tight foreskin are at greater risk of developing penile cancer. It can affect any part of the penis but most commonly involves the foreskin and the head of the penis (glans penis). Men who present with penile cancer also need to be assessed for any spread of the disease to the groin and other lymph nodes.
There have been significant advances in the treatment of penile cancer over the last 10-15 years. St George’s Hospital is one of a number of hospitals in the UK and internationally that have driven this. Surgical techniques have been refined and now complete removal of the tumour with reconstructive surgery (penile preserving surgery) is possible in the majority of cases, minimising the impact on penile appearance and function. Assessing cancer spread with inguinal (groin) dynamic sentinel lymph node sampling has also reduced surgical complications for the majority of patients.
At St George’s Hospital, we participate in international trials and collaborative research to try and improve outcomes in this disease. We are a member of the European Rare Diseases Programme, eUROGEN, whose aim is to improve the care and outcomes of rare diseases across Europe, including penile cancer. We work closely with the charity ORCHID to support men with this disease.
Penile cancer can affect men of any age. The chances of cure are relatively high and treatment is often more successful, with a greater chance of penile preservation, if men present early.
Our patients are looked after by a team of medical professionals including Urological Surgeons, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Oncologists, Radiologists, Histopathologists, Plastic Surgeons, Lymphodema specialists and Psychologists. We also work closely with our network of referring hospitals.
Our aim at St George’s Hospital is to provide patient centred care.
Contact details
Specialist nurse:
Chris Backhouse, Cancer Nurse Specialist
- 020 8725 0393
Contact: Lesley Self
- Lesley.Self@stgeorges.nhs.uk
- 020 8725 2856
Treatments
Men will initially meet our team in a dedicated clinic at St George’s Hospital.
We offer penile preserving surgery to around 85% of our patients. Penile preserving surgery involves excision of the cancer followed by reconstruction with a skin graft to try and preserve appearance and function.
We perform dynamic inguinal (groin) sentinel lymph node sampling in most of our patients. This is an operation to sample a few lymph nodes from the groins to assess whether there has been microscopic spread of the cancer, which can occur in about 1 in 5 men. This technique minimises the complications of groin surgery.
Most men do not need further treatment after their penile surgery and groin sampling. A minority will need further nodal surgery, some of which is possible with “keyhole” surgery and they may also need radiotherapy and / or chemotherapy, which is provided by their, or close to, their referring hospital.
Some men who have the additional nodal surgery experience lymphoedema, swelling to their leg and / or genitals. We offer specialist clinics to help manage this.
Key staff
The penile cancer team includes Urological Surgeons who specialise in this disease, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Oncologists, Radiologists, Histopathologists, Plastic Surgeons, Lymphoedema specialists and Psychologists. This multidisciplinary team meet weekly to review pathology and imaging, and discuss all newly diagnosed patients and plan subsequent treatment.
- Specialist Penile Cancer Urological Surgeons
- Professor Nick Watkin
- Mr Ben Ayres
- Clinical Nurse Specialists
- Chris Backhouse
- Kerry Smith
- Oncologists
- Dr Lisa Pickering
- Dr Alison Tree
- Dr Mehran Ashfar
- Dr Julia Murray
- We also work closely with Oncologists in local hospitals from across our specialist network
- Radiologists
- Dr Michael Gonsalves
- Histopathologists
- Dr Colan Ho Yen
- Dr Caitlin Beggan
- Dr Nick Archard
- Dr Nancy Vargiamidou
- Plastic Surgeons
- Mr Mark Soldin
- Lymphoedema Specialist
- Dr Katrina Gordon
- Psychological Support
- CAPS team
- Macmillan Support Worker
- Magda Decker
Referrals
Referrals can be made via the following method:
Email Suspected Cancer Referral via
ERS ONLY ON PAN LONDON FORMS
TWR Office contact details:
T: 020 8725 1111
Email: CancerReferralOffice@stgeorges.nhs.uk
For referrals outside ERS, please email:
STGH-TR.Cancerreferrals@NHS.NET