Symptoms

Main symptoms of penile cancer

Most penile cancers affect the skin covering the penis (foreskin), or the head or tip (glans) of the penis.

The most common symptoms are:

a growth, lump or sore that does not heal within 4 weeks
a rash
bleeding from your penis or under your foreskin
a smelly discharge
difficulty pulling back your foreskin (phimosis)
a change in the colour of the skin of your penis or foreskin

Other symptoms of penile cancer may include:

a lump in your groin
feeling tired
tummy pain
losing weight without trying

See a GP if you have:

any changes to how your penis looks
discharge or bleeding from your penis
any of the other symptoms of penile cancer
symptoms that are not going away

Try not to be embarrassed. The doctor or nurse will be used to talking about these symptoms.

Important

Some of these symptoms are very common and can be caused by other conditions.

Having the symptoms does not definitely mean you have penile cancer, but it's important to get them checked by a GP.

If your symptoms are caused by cancer, finding it early may mean it's easier to treat.

What happens at your GP appointment

The GP may check your penis and ask you to have a blood test.

They'll usually ask you:

about your general health
what your symptoms are
when your symptoms started
if you've used anything to treat your symptoms, and if it's made it better or worse

Referral to a specialist

You may get an urgent referral for more tests or to see a specialist in hospital if the GP thinks you have symptoms that could be cancer. This does not definitely mean you have cancer.

Find out more

Cancer Research UK: referral to a specialist for symptoms that could be caused by penile cancer

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