Carcinoma of the penis classification

Editor(s)-in-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1] Phone:617-632-7753; Swathi Venkatesan, M.B.B.S.[2]

Carcinoma of the penis may be classified according to cell types into several subtypes: squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, melanoma, basal cell carcinoma, lymphoma, and sarcoma.

Squamous cell carcinoma^[1][2][3]

• The most common type of penile cancer is squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

• There are several subtypes of SCC:^[4]

• Warty carcinoma (verruciform) and verrucous carcinoma

• Looks like a genital wart and may have a cauliflower-like appearance
• Usually slow growing, but they gradually enlarge and can spread deeply into surrounding tissue
• Rarely spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body
• Often associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection

• Basaloid carcinoma

• Uncommon type of squamous cell penile cancer^[5]
• Fast growing

• Sarcomatoid carcinoma

• Fast growing

• There are several rare types of penile cancer:

Adenocarcinoma“Penile Cancer: Introduction | Cancer.Net”.

• Develops from sweat glands (glandular cells) in the skin of the penis
• Occurs much less often than SCC
• Also called Paget’s disease of the penis

Melanoma

• Develops from skin cells called melanocytes
• Usually develops on sun-exposed areas of skin, but sometimes develops on the penis

Basal cell carcinoma

• A type of non-melanoma skin cancer
• Slow growing and rarely spreads to other areas of the body

Lymphoma

• A type of cancer that starts in immune cells of the lymphatic system

Sarcoma

• A type of cancer that starts in connective tissues (tissue that surrounds and supports various organs in the body)
• Starts in the connective and supporting tissues of the body
• Tends to be fast growing
• May include AIDS-related Kaposi sarcoma (KS)

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