Penile cancer develops in or on the penis when cells begin to grow out of control. Penile cancer is most often found in the glans or on the foreskin. Some growths that develop on the penis may be determined to be benign or noncancerous. These can look like irritated skin or warts and most often occur on the glans, foreskin or shaft of the penis.
Different types of penile cancer can develop depending on the type of tissue in which the cancer started. Most penile cancers start in the skin cells and include the following types:
- Squamous cell carcinoma
- Melanoma
- Basal cell carcinoma
- Adenocarcinoma
- Sarcoma
Your treatment will depend on the type of penile cancer and whether cancer cells have invaded, or grown into or beyond, other tissues.