PENILE CANCER PREVENTION

Conditions which increase a person's chance of getting penile cancer include:

• infection with genital warts (human papillomavirus, or HPV)
• a skin disease called psoriasis
• a condition called phimosis, in which the foreskin becomes difficult to retract
• other conditions that result in repeated irritation of the penis.
• a history of smoking.

There appears to be a connection between development of the disease and lack of personal hygiene. Failure to regularly and thoroughly cleanse the part of the penis covered by the foreskin increases the risk of developing the disease. Penile cancer is also more common in uncircumcised men.