Causes

Main causes of penile cancer

Roughly half of all penile cancers are caused by certain types of a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV).

There are different types of HPV and some affect the genital area.

You can get HPV from:

any skin-to-skin contact of the genital area
vaginal, anal or oral sex
sharing sex toys

Most people affected by HPV will not get penile cancer.

Who is more likely to get penile cancer

Penile cancer is most common in men over the age of 50. It can affect anyone with a penis.

You might also be more likely to get penile cancer if you:

smoke
have problems pulling back your foreskin (the skin covering your penis) to keep your penis clean (a condition called phimosis)
have or had treatment for psoriasis with medicines called psoralens and an ultraviolet (UVA) light source (called PUVA treatment)
have a weakened immune system because of a condition like HIV

Find out more

How to lower your chance of getting penile cancer

You cannot always prevent penile cancer. But you may be able to lower your chances of getting it.

Do

protect yourself from getting HPV by getting the HPV vaccination if you can
use condoms when having any kind of sex, to lower your chances of getting HPV
stop smoking
have a circumcision if you have phimosis and this is recommended to treat it

It's important to get any symptoms of penile cancer checked by a GP.

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

	This item was in brought to you association with NHS website. Follow the links above for more information and don't forget to check out OutUK's A to Z of Gay Health which features items on everything from relationships, sexual health, mental and physical conditions and how to stay fit. This week our topic is: L - Lung Cancer.
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