International

Penis cancer on the rise, resulting in 6,500 amputations in Brazil

Published

2 years ago

June 22, 2024

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In 2018, Brazilian pensioner João sought medical help after he found a wart on his penis.

“I started visiting medical clinics to find out what it was, but all the doctors told me it was due to excess skin and prescribed medication,” the 63-year-old recalls.

Despite the medication, the wart continued to grow. It started to take a toll on his marriage and João and his wife’s sex life declined. “We were like siblings,” he admits. He was determined to find out what was going on.

For five years João, not his real name, went back and forth to specialists who prescribed more medication and ordered new biopsies. “Nothing solved it,” he says.

Then, in 2023, he was given a diagnosis – João had penile cancer.

“For my family, it was a very unpleasant surprise, even more so because I had to have part of the penis amputated. I feel like I was decapitated,” he says.

“It’s a type of cancer that you can’t talk about with people because it could turn into a joke.”

Penile cancer is rare, but incidences and mortality rates are on the rise around the world.

According to the latest studies, Brazil, where João is from, has one of the highest incidence rates of 2.1 per 100,000 men.

‘Terrified of surgery’

Between 2012 and 2022, there were 21,000 reported cases, according to Brazil’s Ministry of Health. This resulted in more than 4,000 deaths and, over the past decade, there have been more than 6,500 amputations – averaging one every two days.

Maranhão, the poorest state in Brazil, was found to have the highest incidence rate globally at 6.1 per 100,000 men.

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.

When detected early, there is a high chance of recovery through treatments such as the surgical removal of the lesion, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

But if left untreated, partial or total amputation of the penis, and possibly other nearby genital organs such as the testicles, may become necessary.

João underwent a partial amputation in January and says it was a difficult time.

“It’s something you never imagine will happen to you, and when it does, you can’t just go around telling people,” he says.

“I was terrified of surgery, but there was no other alternative. The feeling in the first weeks after the surgery was one of sadness, I can’t deny it. Not having part of your penis is horrible.”

Some patients undergo a total amputation which is life-changing.

Thiago Camelo Mourão from the Department of Urology at AC Camargo Cancer Center in São Paulo says: “In the case of partial amputation, urine continues to exit through the penis.

“However, in total amputation, the urethral orifice can be relocated to the perineum, between the scrotum and the anus, requiring the patient to urinate while sitting on the toilet.”

Mauricio Dener Cordeiro of the Brazilian Society of Urology says the persistent infection of human papillomavirus (HPV), a name given to a common group of viruses, is “one of the main risk factors”. HPV can be transmitted during sex and in some cases, it can lead to cancers including in the mouth and penis.

He says: “Mass vaccination against HPV is essential due to its high effectiveness in preventing related lesions,” but he adds that vaccination rates in Brazil are below the level needed to be truly effective.

“In Brazil, despite the availability of the vaccine, the HPV vaccination rate remains low for girls – reaching only 57% – and for boys, it doesn’t exceed 40%,” he says. “The ideal coverage to prevent the disease is 90%.”

He believes misinformation about the vaccine, unfounded doubts about its effectiveness and a lack of vaccination campaigns have contributed to the low take-up.

According to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) website, smoking can increase the risk of getting penile cancer, too. It also says you might be more likely to get penile cancer if you “have problems pulling back your foreskin (the skin covering your penis) to keep your penis clean (a condition called phimosis)”.

“When a man does not expose the glans and fails to clean the foreskin properly, it produces a secretion that accumulates,” Dr Cordeiro says. “This creates a highly favourable environment for bacterial infections.

“If this occurs repeatedly, it becomes a risk factor for the appearance of the tumour.”

But Brazil is not the only place where penile cancer is on the rise. According to the latest research, the number of cases is increasing around the world.

In 2022, the journal JMIR Public Health and Surveillance published the results of a large-scale analysis involving the latest data from 43 countries.

It found the highest incidence of penile cancer between 2008 and 2012 was in Uganda (2.2 per 100,000), followed by Brazil (2.1 per 100,000) and Thailand (1.4 per 100,000). The lowest was in Kuwait (0.1 per 100,000).

“Although developing countries still bear the higher incidence and mortality of penile cancer, the incidence is on the rise in most European countries,” the team of researchers led by Leiwen Fu and Tian Tian from Sun Yat-Sen University in China found.

They reported that England had seen an increase in penile cancer, rising from 1.1 to 1.3 per 100,000 between 1979 and 2009 and in Germany cases increased by 50% from 1.2 to 1.8 per 100,000 between 1961 and 2012.

These figures are only set to get higher, according to the Global Cancer Registries prediction tool. It estimates that by 2050, the global incidence of penile cancer will rise by more than 77%.

This change can largely be attributed to the ageing population, according to the experts, who say the highest incidence occurred in men in their 60s.

Dr Cordeiro says: “Penile cancer is a rare disease but also highly preventable”.

He advised that using condoms during sex and undergoing surgery to remove the foreskin in cases of phimosis could help reduce the risk of penile cancer.

Neil Barber, Clinical Lead for Urology at Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust, adds: “Penile cancer is almost unheard of in the circumcised population. Poor hygiene and infections beneath the foreskin, as well as conditions like phimosis that make it difficult to retract the foreskin and maintain good hygiene, are risk factors. This is linked to higher overall infection risks”.

“Established risk factors also include unprotected sex, specifically not using condoms, with poor hygiene further increasing risks through this route.”

João is currently waiting for his latest test results, which he will receive later this year. “I’m confident that these exams will show that I’ll be cured,” he says.

“Now, following the amputation, the pain has gone away, and I’ve been feeling much better. But I’ll have to live with a partially amputated penis for the rest of my days.”

According to Cancer Research UK, more than 90% of men diagnosed with penile cancer which has not spread to nearby lymph nodes survive for five years or more. (BBC)

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International

$300bn reconstruction aid, sanctions lift’ – US-Iran MoU details emerge

Published

21 hours ago

June 17, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

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The following is the text of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding, as read out by a senior US official to reporters on Wednesday:

“The United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran have jointly agreed in good faith on (a date yet to be determined, the official said), on the following:

“Paragraph 1 – The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran and their allies in the current war, by signing this MOU, declare an immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and undertake from now on not to initiate any war or any military operation against each other and to refrain from the threat or use of force against each other, and ensuring the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Lebanon. The final deal will confirm the permanent termination of the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, and other provisions of this paragraph.

“Paragraph 2 – The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran undertake to respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and to refrain from interfering in each other’s internal affairs.

“Paragraph 3 – The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran commit to negotiating and achieving the final deal in maximum 60 days extendable with mutual consent.

“Paragraph 4 – Immediately upon the signing of this MOU, the United States of America will begin the removal of its naval blockade and any disturbances or impediments against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and will fully end the naval blockade within 30 days. During this period, the traffic of vessels will be in proportion to the numbers of pre-war traffic being restored by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America further undertakes to remove its forces from the proximity of the Islamic Republic of Iran within 30 days after the final deal.

“Paragraph 5 – Upon the signing of this MOU, the Islamic Republic of Iran will make arrangements using its best efforts for the safe passage of commercial vessels with no charge for 60 days only, from the Persian Gulf to the Sea of Oman, and vice versa. The traffic of commercial vessels will immediately start, and considering the need for removing the technical and military obstacles, and de-mining by the Islamic Republic of Iran, will be instated within 30 days. The Islamic Republic of Iran will conduct dialogue with the Sultanate of Oman to define the future administration and maritime services in the Strait of Hormuz, in discussion with other Persian Gulf littoral states, in line with the applicable international law and the sovereign rights of coastal states of the Strait of Hormuz.

“Paragraph 6 – The United States of America undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive mutually agreed plan with at least USD 300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The mechanism for the implementation of this plan will be finalized as part of a final deal within 60 days. All required licenses, waivers, and permissions needed for the relevant financial transactions will be granted by the United States of America.

“Paragraph 7 – The United States of America undertakes to terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the United Nations Security Council resolutions, IAEA Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral US sanctions, primary and secondary, in an agreed-upon schedule as part of the final deal. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America acknowledge the critical importance of the sanctions termination issue above mentioned, and express their intentions to immediately address these issues in the negotiations in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.

“Paragraph 8 – The Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it shall not procure or develop nuclear weapons. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran have agreed to resolve the disposition of stockpiled enriched material pursuant to a mechanism that will be mutually agreed upon in accordance with the schedule mentioned in Paragraph 7, with the minimum methodology to be down-blending on site under the supervision of the IAEA. The two parties also agreed to discuss the issue of enrichment and other mutually agreed matters related to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear needs, based on a satisfactory framework being agreed upon in the final deal. The final deal will confirm the provisions of this paragraph. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran acknowledge the critical importance of the nuclear issues above mentioned, and express their intention to immediately address these issues in the negotiation in order to achieve mutual agreement on them.

“Paragraph 9 – Pending the final deal, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran agree to maintain the status quo. The Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the current status quo of its nuclear program, and the United States of America will not impose any new sanctions, and will not deploy additional forces in the region.

“Paragraph 10 – The United States of America undertakes that immediately upon the signing of this MOU, and until the termination of sanctions, US Department of Treasury will issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and derivatives, and all associated services, including banking transactions, insurances, transportation, etc.

“Paragraph 11 – The United States of America undertakes to make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the implementation of this MOU. The United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will mutually agree on the procedures related to the release of these funds during the negotiations. Such funds, whether retained in the original account or transferred, shall be made fully usable for payment to any ultimate beneficiary designated by the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The United States of America undertakes to issue all necessary licenses and authorizations accordingly.

“Paragraph 12 – The United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran agree that an executive mechanism will be established to monitor the successful implementation of this MOU and the future compliance of the final deal.

“Paragraph 13 – After signing this MOU and subject to the beginning of the implementation of Paragraphs 1, 4, 5, 10 and 11 of this MOU, and the continuing implementation of these measures, the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran will start negotiations regarding the final deal exclusively on the other paragraphs.

“Paragraph 14 – The final deal will be endorsed by a binding UNSC resolution.”

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International

Iran threatens retaliation, says US strikes violated ceasefire

Published

3 weeks ago

May 26, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

US President Donald Trump

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Iran’s foreign ministry on Tuesday accused the United States of violating a fragile ceasefire during the past 48 hours in the southern coastal province of Hormozgan, without specifying the incident.

The accusation comes after US Central Command said its forces had on Monday attacked missile sites and boats in southern Iran that were trying to lay mines in the Gulf, while Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said it fired at US aircraft trying to enter its airspace.

“The US terrorist army, continuing its illegal and unjustified actions since the ceasefire… has, in the past 48 hours, committed a gross violation of the ceasefire in the Hormozgan region,” the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.

It added that Tehran “will not leave any evil unanswered and will not hesitate to defend the Iranian nation,” without elaborating.

Tuesday’s statement came as a top Iranian delegation was in Qatar for talks as part of a “diplomatic process” aimed at ending the war with the United States, which broke out on February 28

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International

Dozens of lranian fighters killed, as US resumes strike in Strait of Hormuz, targets IRGC Naval Boats in the Gulf

Published

3 weeks ago

May 26, 2026

Advocate News Nigeria

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U.S. fighter jets have reportedly struck IRGC naval boats in the Gulf after Iranian forces allegedly targeted a vessel near Bandar Abbas.

U.S. Central Command confirms “self-defense strikes” were carried out against Iranian boats and missile sites near the Strait of Hormuz amid rising tensions in the region.

It was stated that the numbers of dead has increased from 9 to 15, with dozens still missing while others remain injured.

According to emerging reports, the strikes targeted IRGC maritime assets and defensive positions during what rapidly escalated into a major military confrontation in the region. Rescue and emergency operations are said to be ongoing as authorities continue searching for missing personnel.

Iranian and regional media report heavy explosions and gunfire near Bandar Abbas, while negotiations between Washington and Tehran continue in Qatar.