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Causes, Risk Factors, and Prevention of Penile Cancer
Learn about the risk factors for penile cancer and what you might be able to do to help lower your risk.
Risk factors for penile cancer
Several factors can increase a man’s risk for penile cancer. Some risk factors for penile cancer include:
- Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection
- Not being circumcised
- Smoking and other tobacco use
- Older age
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
What causes penile cancer?
While we know about some of the risk factors for penile cancer, like human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and tobacco use, it’s not always clear exactly how these factors might lead to penile cancer.
How gene changes (mutations) can lead to cancer
Penile cancer forms because of changes in the DNA in cells in the penis. DNA is the chemical in each of our cells that makes up our genes. Genes control how our cells function. Changes (mutations) in the DNA inside our cells can sometimes change the way some genes work.
Some genes control when our cells grow, divide into new cells, and die:
- Genes that normally help cells grow, divide, or stay alive can lose the ability to turn off and can become oncogenes.
- Genes that tell cells to stop dividing or cause cells to die at the right time are called tumor suppressor genes.
- DNA repair genes find and fix DNA damage that happens during cell growth or from the environment.
Changes in any of these types of genes might cause them to stop working the way they should, which can lead to cells growing out of control. If enough of these changes happen inside a cell over time, it might lead to cancer.
For instance, normal cells use tumor suppressor genes to make proteins that keep them from growing too fast and becoming cancers. Two viral proteins (E6 and E7) made by high-risk types of HPV can block the function of the proteins made by tumor suppressor genes, which increases the risk for penile cancer and some other cancers.
To learn more, see Oncogenes, Tumor Suppressor Genes, and DNA Repair Genes.
Can penile cancer be prevented?
The large differences in penile cancer rates throughout the world suggest that many penile cancers can be prevented.
The best way to reduce the risk of penile cancer is to avoid known risk factors (see Risk Factors for Penile Cancer). But some men with penile cancer have no known avoidable risk factors, so it’s not possible to prevent this disease completely.
Perhaps the most important factor in preventing penile cancer in uncircumcised men is good genital hygiene. Uncircumcised men need to pull back (retract) the foreskin and clean the entire penis.
If the foreskin is constricted and hard to retract (called phimosis), a doctor may be able to prescribe a cream or ointment that can make it easier to do so. If this doesn’t work, the doctor may cut the skin of the foreskin in a procedure called a dorsal slit to make retraction easier.
Infection with certain types of HPV might lead to penile cancer, as well as several other types of cancer.
Genital infection with HPV is common, so having sex with even one other person can put you at risk. A person can have an HPV infection for years without any symptoms, so the absence of visible warts can’t be used to tell if someone has HPV.
Even when someone doesn’t have warts (or any other symptom), they can still be infected with HPV and pass the virus to somebody else.
It might be possible to lower your risk of HPV by limiting the number of sex partners you have and by using condoms correctly every time you have sex.
HPV vaccines can help prevent infection with some of the types of HPV that might lead to penile cancer (and some other cancers). But to work, they need to be given before a person is exposed to the virus. Because of this, they are typically recommended between the ages of 9 and 12, and they’re not advised for people older than age 26 by the American Cancer Society.
To learn more about HPV, including what you can do to help prevent it, see HPV.
Tobacco use increases penile cancer risk, so not using any form of tobacco might lower that risk. Quitting tobacco or never starting to use it in the first place is a good way to reduce your risk of many diseases, including penile cancer.
In the past, circumcision (removing the foreskin on the penis) was suggested by some doctors as a way to lower penile cancer risk. This was based on studies that found much lower penile cancer rates among circumcised men than among uncircumcised men. But in some studies, the protective effect of circumcision wasn’t seen after factors like phimosis (see Risk Factors for Penile Cancer) were taken into account.
In the US, the risk of penile cancer is low even among uncircumcised men. Men who aren’t circumcised can help lower their risk of penile cancer by practicing good genital hygiene.
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- 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).
Giannone G, Giuliano AR, Bandini M, et al. HPV vaccination and HPV-related malignancies: impact, strategies and optimizations toward global immunization coverage. Cancer Treat Rev. 2022 Dec;111:102467.
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 Cancer Institute. Penile Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version. 2025. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/penile/patient/penile-treatment-pdq on June 16, 2025.
Pettaway CA. Carcinoma of the penis: Epidemiology, risk factors, and pathology. UpToDate. 2025. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/carcinoma-of-the-penis-epidemiology-risk-factors-and-pathology on June 16, 2025.
Last Revised: February 9, 2016
American Cancer Society medical information is copyrighted material. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy.
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