Penile cancer is spreading rapidly in Brazil, 6,500 people had to have their penises amputated, scientists are also surprised

In Brazil, cases of penis cancer have been increasing rapidly in the last few years. In such cases, to save the lives of patients, doctors are cutting off the penis through surgery. More than 6500 such surgeries have been done in the country in the last decade. This is called penile cancer, it is a rare disease but its cases and deaths are increasing in many countries of the world including Brazil. Due to being in the penis, people are not able to talk about this cancer very openly, but now it is becoming a very serious problem. Recent research says that Brazil has the highest cases of this cancer. In Brazil, this cancer is occurring at the highest rate of 2.1 per 1,00,000 men.

The BBC has reported on cases related to this cancer in Brazil. Talking to the BBC, 63-year-old João told that after seeing a wart on the penis in 2018, he consulted a doctor. Despite taking medicine, the wart kept growing. João kept going to specialists for five years but the problem kept increasing. Finally in 2023, he was told that it was penile cancer. The treatment was that the doctors cut off a part of João’s penis through surgery.

More than four thousand deaths have occurred

According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, 21,000 cases of penile cancer were registered between 2012 and 2022. This caused more than 4,000 deaths and more than 6,500 surgeries were done to separate the penis in the last ten years. If seen, doctors have done two such operations in the last ten years. Maranhao, the poorest state of Brazil, had the highest rate of 6.1 per 100,000 men globally.

The symptoms of penile cancer often begin with a wound on the penis that does not heal and a strong-smelling discharge. Some people also bleed and the color of the penis changes. Early detection of cancer has a high chance of cure through treatments such as surgical removal of the lesion, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. If not treated early, partial or complete removal of the penis and testicles may be necessary.

Brazil is not the only country where penile cancer is on the rise. According to recent research, the number of cases is increasing worldwide. In 2022, the JMIR Public Health and Surveillance journal published the results of a large-scale analysis incorporating the latest data from 43 countries.

It found that between 2008 and 2012, the highest incidence of penile cancer was reported in Uganda (2.2 per 100,000), Brazil (2.1 per 100,000) and Thailand (1.4 per 100,000).