CASES penile cancer and amputations have surged at an "alarming rate" across the globe.
And they're predicted to rise further, with experts warning cases could increase by 77 per cent in the next 30 years.
Penis cancer is a rare type of the disease that most commonly affects men over the age of 50.
Symptoms of penile cancer often start with a sore on the penis that does not heal and a strong-smelling discharge.
Some people get bleeding and colour changes of the penis, too.
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When detected early, the cancer is more easily treatable and there is a high chance of recovery.
But if left untreated, it may become necessary to amputate part or all of the penis, as wells as nearby genital organs such as the testicles.
A total penectomy, as the procedure is called, is only done if the cancer cells have penetrated deeply into the penis or if the cancer is at the base of the penis.
According to Cancer Research UK, about 760 cases of the cancer are diagnosed in the UK every year.
Researchers from the Sun Yat-Sen University in China looked into penile cancer cases and deaths across the globe, analysing data collected between 1973 and 2012 from 44 populations across 43 different countries.
"Estimates suggest that 13,211 men with penile cancer died in 2020 globally," researchers wrote in the study published to JMIR Publications.
Some 36,068 new cases were also recorded across the globe that same year, they added.
The largest number of deaths from penile cancer occurred in India (4760), China (1565), and Brazil (539) in 2020.
The research team observed an increase in penile cancer incidence in 15 countries.
This "significantly increasing trend" in penile cancer cases was observed among "most European countries" - such Lithuania, Norway, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Cyprus, the Netherlands, Italy, Croatia, Slovakia, Russia, the Czech Republic - during the study period, "especially in Northern Europe".
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The UK was also among countries seeing an increase in cases, with researchers writing: "There was a 21 per cent increase, from 1.1 to 1.3 per 100,000, in penile cancer incidence in England between 1979 and 2009."
Cases in Germany also increased by 50 per cent between 1961 and 2012, according the the study.
One of the highest incidence rates was recorded in Brazil, where 2.1 in every 100,000 men developed penile cancer.
The BBC recently reported that 21,000 cases of penile cancer had been detected in the country, according to Brazil's Ministry of Health.
This resulted in more than 4,000 deaths and, over the past decade, and more than 6,500 amputations - averaging two each day.
"Although developing countries still bear the higher incidence and mortality of penile cancer, the incidence is on the rise in most European countries," Sun Yat-Sen University wrote.
"To mitigate the disease burden resulting from penile cancer, measures to lower the risk for penile cancers, including improving penile hygiene and male human papillomavirus vaccination (HPV), may be warranted," they added.
HPV is the name of a very common group of viruses that don't cause any problems in most people, but being infected with some types can result in genital warts or cancer.
HPV can be spread through sex as well as skin-to-skin contact in the genital area and sharing sex toys.
Cancers linked to high-risk HPV include:
- Cervical cancer
- Anal cancer
- Penile cancer
- Vulval cancer
- Vaginal cancer
- Some types of head and neck cancer
Researchers observed: "The incidence trend of penile cancer observed in this study is similar to other long-lag HPV-related cancers, such as vulvar cancer and anal cancer.
"Currently, routine HPV vaccination of boys and men is implemented in several countries, such as Australia, Canada, the United States, and Austria.
"Vaccination of boys and men may further reduce the incidence of penile cancer, anal cancer, and head and neck cancer; additionally, it may reduce the incidence of cervical cancer and its precursors by herd protection.
"Expanding the benefits of HPV vaccination to boys and men in countries with a high burden of HPV infection should be evaluated as soon as possible."
But they noted that further research is need to explain regional differences in penile cancer rates.
"As a large proportion of penile cancer is attributable to HPV, the efficacy of HPV vaccines in high-risk groups should be assessed as soon as possible.
"Future research should also continue to explore the association of risk factors with prognosis in patients with penile cancer and to follow the evolution of incidence and survival of this cancer."
