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EDITORIAL |
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| Year : 2006 | Volume
: 22
| Issue : 4 | Page : 303 |
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Penile cancer: An ounce of prevention or a pound of cure?
Nitin S Kekre
Department of Urology, Christian Medical College, Vellore - 632 004, Tamil Nadu, India
Correspondence Address:
Nitin S Kekre
Department of Urology, Christian Medical College, Vellore - 632 004, Tamil Nadu
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0970-1591.29111
How to cite this article:
Kekre NS. Penile cancer: An ounce of prevention or a pound of cure?. Indian J Urol 2006;22:303 |
The past decade has witnessed a quantum leap in the field of uro-oncology. Evolution of the multi-modality approach to urological cancers have resulted in overall improved survival and quality of life. But unfortunately, in the developing world, cancer penis has not received the attention it deserves. It is not an uncommon problem and in spite of the high prevalence in developing countries, we continue to see men who often present late with locally advanced foul-smelling penile growth, which in many situations is not amenable to surgical cure. I have often wondered how a lesion in an organ that is handled several times a day can be ignored. Is it due to fear, ignorance and lack of education or inaccessibility to basic healthcare? Probably, a combination of all these factors plays a role. Do physicians have a high index of suspicion in dealing with very early penile lesions? We often see malignant lesions being labeled as fungal infection or sexually transmitted disease. A simple procedure like biopsy is often not performed. In the present era when we are discussing men's health issues like early detection of prostate cancer, erectile dysfunction and andropause, I think it is equally important if not more to educate men folk about the importance of maintaining good penile hygiene. It is not uncommon to find even a well-educated gentleman with poor penile hygiene and the prepuce loaded with smegma. A simple public health campaign highlighting the significance of penile hygiene, about retracting the prepuce and cleaning the glans may go a long way in prevention and early detection. Treatment of inguinal lymph nodes continues to be controversial and many men lose the small opportunity of cure as the physicians are not sure about the treatment options.
In this issue, the symposium on penile cancer highlights important issues and an attempt is made to give overall practical management guidelines. I am sure this will stimulate many of us to carry out good research on this highly prevalent problem in our country. I am thankful to Professor Ganesh Gopalakrishnan for guest editing this symposium and I thank him and the other contributors for their excellent work.
Laparoscopy is well established in Urology and is being used increasingly in the pediatric population. What are the physiological effects of laparoscopy in a child? In this issue Drs. Sumit Dave and Wahit Farhat from Sick Hospital for Children, Toronto provide an in-depth review of the physiological effects of pediatric laparoscopy. Drs. Payel Patel and Gopal Badlani from the Department of Urology, Long Island Jewish Medical Centre, discuss all relevant management issues about pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence.
Last but not the least, editorial team is happy to bring out the final edition of the Indian Journal of Urology for the year 2006. It has been our endeavor to regularize the frequency and improve on the date of publication. And I am happy to say that we have been successful in achieving this target. I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the Editorial Team and Medknow Publications for their excellent support.
I wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year.
| This article has been cited by | | 1 |
EAU guidelines for management of penile cancer |
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| Hegarty, P.K. | | Indian Journal of Urology. 2007; 23(1): 81 | | [Pubmed] | |
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