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After Treatment for Penile Cancer
During treatment for penile cancer, most patients are focused on getting through treatment and beating the cancer. For those who finish treatment, the focus often shifts to long-term effects of penile cancer and its treatment, as well as worries about the cancer coming back.
On this page
- Follow-up exams and tests
- Ask your doctor for a survivorship care plan
- Keeping health insurance and copies of your medical records
- Late and long-term side effects treatment
- Getting emotional support
- Can I lower my risk of the penile cancer progressing or coming back?
- Could I get a second cancer after treatment?
It is normal to want to put penile cancer and its treatment behind you and get back to a life that does not revolve around cancer. But getting the right follow-up care offers you the best chance for recovery and long-term survival.
For some people, penile cancer might never go away completely. They might get regular treatments to try to keep the cancer in check and to help with symptoms. Learning to live with cancer that does not go away can be difficult and very stressful.
No matter what your situation is, there are steps you can take to live well, both physically and emotionally.
Follow-up exams and tests
Whether or not you've completed treatment, your doctors will still want to watch you closely. It’s very important to go to all of your follow-up appointments. Doctor visits will be more frequent at first, but the time between visits may get longer as time goes on.
During these visits, your doctors will ask about any problems you're having and may do exams, lab tests, and/or imaging tests (like CT scans) to look for signs of cancer or treatment side effects (see below).
Because there is a chance that the cancer might return after treatment, it is important to go to all follow-up appointments and to report any new symptoms to your doctor right away. As time goes by, the risk of recurrence typically goes down. But routine doctor visits are still important because some side effects of treatment might not show up until years later. A benefit of follow-up care is that it gives you a chance to discuss any questions and concerns that arise during and after recovery from cancer treatment.
Ask your doctor for a survivorship care plan
Talk with your doctor about developing a survivorship care plan for you. This plan might include:
- A suggested schedule for follow-up exams and tests
- A schedule for other tests you might need in the future, such as early detection (screening) tests for other types of cancer, or tests to look for long-term health effects from your cancer or its treatment
- A list of possible late- or long-term side effects from your treatment (see below), including what to watch for and when you should contact your doctor
- Diet and physical activity suggestions
- Reminders to keep your appointments with your primary care provider (PCP), who will monitor your general health care
Keeping health insurance and copies of your medical records
Even after treatment, it’s very important to keep health insurance. Tests and doctor visits cost a lot, and even though no one wants to think of their cancer coming back, this could happen.
At some point after your cancer treatment, you might find yourself seeing a new doctor who doesn’t know about your medical history. It’s important to keep copies of your medical records (or have access to them) so you can give your new doctor the details of your diagnosis and treatment. Gathering these details soon after treatment may be easier than trying to get them at some point in the future.
Ask your cancer care team where and how to get this information. Learn more in Keeping Copies of Important Medical Records.
Late and long-term side effects treatment
Penile cancer and its treatment can sometimes lead to long-term, life-changing side effects.
Physical health after cancer treatment
Penile-sparing treatments (including less extensive surgeries, radiation therapy, or other local treatments) are used whenever possible to limit side effects, but sometimes they can't be avoided, especially if the cancer is more advanced.
Most people can still control the start and stop of urine flow after surgery. They're still continent because the ring of muscle (called the sphincter muscle) that controls urine flow is close to the bladder and is not affected by penile surgery.
But if the surgery removes part of the penis (partial penectomy) or the entire penis (total penectomy), how a person urinates might change. In some cases, a partial penectomy leaves enough of the penis to allow relatively normal urination. But people who have had a total penectomy often must sit to urinate.
If penile cancer is diagnosed early, treatments other than penectomy can often be used. These may have little effect on sex and sexual pleasure once you have fully recovered. Less extensive treatment options might include circumcision or other less extensive surgeries or local therapies other than surgery (such as radiation therapy, topical medicines, or laser ablation).
Some of the changes caused by treatment affect the way a person thinks about sex. Though they may be physically able to have sex, thoughts and feelings may keep it from happening. For example, changes in the way the penis looks can cause decreased interest and problems having sex due to shame or embarrassment. Many people worry that they won't be able to satisfy their partner. And sometimes depression and anxiety can cause them to avoid sex.
Removing all or part of the penis can have a huge effect self-image and sexual ability. Some people might feel stressed or depressed, or they might not feel “whole” after the operation. These are valid and understandable feelings, but they can often be helped with counseling or talking with others. You and your partner may wish to consider counseling to help understand the impact of penile cancer treatment and to explore other methods of sexual satisfaction.
Satisfying sex is possible for many but not all poeple after partial penectomy (removal of part of the penis). The remaining shaft of the penis can still become erect with arousal. It usually gets enough length for penetration. The most sensitive area of the penis (the glans, or “head”) is gone, but a person can still reach orgasm and ejaculate normally. Their partner should also still be able to enjoy sex and often reach orgasm.
Intercourse in the traditional sense isn’t possible after total penectomy (complete removal of the penis). Some people give up sex after this surgery. Since penile cancer is most common in elderly men, some might already be unable to or uninterested in having sex, sometimes because of other health problems.
But if people are willing to put some effort into his sex life, pleasure is possible after total penectomy. They can learn to reach orgasm when sensitive areas such as the scrotum, skin behind the scrotum, and the area around the surgical scars are caressed. Having a sexual fantasy or looking at erotic pictures or stories can also increase excitement.
A person can help their partner reach orgasm by caressing the genitals, by oral sex, or by stimulation with a sexual aid like a vibrator.
After total penectomy, surgical reconstruction of the penis might be possible in some cases. If you're interested in this, ask your doctor if this might be an option for you.
For more information, see Sexual Side Effects.
The lymph nodes in the groin and the vessels that connect them help fluid drain out of the groin and lower part of the body and back into the bloodstream. If the groin lymph nodes are removed or treated with radiation, it can sometimes lead to problems with fluid drainage in the legs or scrotum, causing abnormal swelling. This condition is called lymphedema. The chances of it developing vary greatly.
This problem was more common in the past because more lymph nodes were removed to check for cancer spread. Today, fewer lymph nodes are usually removed, which lowers the risk of lymphedema. But lymphedema can still happen, even with less treatment. And it can be a lifelong risk.
For more on this, see Lymphedema.
Getting emotional support
It’s normal to feel depressed, anxious, or worried when cancer is a part of your life. Some people are affected more than others. But everyone can benefit from help and support from other people, whether friends and family, religious groups, support groups, professional counselors, or others.
Learn more in Life After Cancer.
Can I lower my risk of the penile cancer progressing or coming back?
If you have (or have had) penile cancer, you probably want to know if there are things you can do that might lower your risk of the cancer growing or coming back, such as exercising, eating a certain type of diet, or taking nutritional supplements.
Adopting healthy behaviors such as not smoking, eating well, getting regular physical activity, and staying at a healthy weight might help, but no one knows for sure. Still, we do know that these types of changes can have positive effects on your health that can extend beyond your risk of penile cancer.
About dietary supplements
So far, no dietary supplements (including vitamins, minerals, and herbal products) have been shown to clearly help lower the risk of penile cancer progressing or coming back. This does not mean that there are no supplements that can help, but it is important to know that none have been proven to do so.
To learn more, see Are Dietary Supplements Safe?
If the cancer comes back
If the cancer does come back (recur) at some point, your treatment options will depend on where the cancer is, what treatments you’ve had before, your overall health, and your preferences. For more information on how recurrent cancer is treated, see Treatment of Penile Cancer.
For more general information on recurrence, you may also want to see Understanding Recurrence.
Could I get a second cancer after treatment?
People who’ve had penile cancer can still get other cancers (known as second cancers). This is different from the recurrence of penile cancer. While people who’ve had penile cancer don’t seem to be at higher risk for any particular types of cancer, they still have many of the same risks as anyone else.
It's important to see your primary care provider and get recommended check-ups and screening tests, including cancer screening tests. You can find details about cancer screening tests that might be right for you in our Cancer Screening Guidelines.
For more about the risk of second cancers, see Second Cancers.
- Written by
- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Heinlen JE, Ramadan MO, Stratton K, Culkin DJ. Chapter 82: Cancer of the Penis. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Doroshow JH, Kastan MB, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa. Elsevier: 2020.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Penile Cancer. Version 2.2025. Accessed at www.nccn.org on July 11, 2025.
Pettaway CA, Pagliaro LC. Carcinoma of the penis: Surgical and medical treatment. UpToDate. 2025. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/carcinoma-of-the-penis-surgical-and-medical-treatment on July 11, 2025.
Last Revised: September 8, 2025
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
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