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CION Cancer Clinics
Rebuilding a penis after penile cancer: phalloplasty explained | CION Cancer Clinics
Phalloplasty can rebuild a penis after penile cancer surgery, using skin, fat and nerve from the forearm or thigh. It is done in stages, usually once the cancer is treated and follow-up has been reassuring. It can let a man pass urine standing and, with a later implant, have sex. It does not recreate the original. This page explains the options, stages, limits and questions to ask. CION Cancer Clinics’ surgical oncologists in Hyderabad can talk this through with you.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Muralidhar MuddusettyConsultant Surgical Oncologist · MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery, AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh) · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- Can a penis be rebuilt after penile cancer?
- Which ways of rebuilding a penis might be discussed?
- What are the stages, from cancer treatment to a rebuilt penis?
- What is realistic, and what is not?
- What do families often believe about reconstruction?
- What should you ask, and what can this page not tell you?
- Common questions about phalloplasty after penile cancer
The short answer
Can a penis be rebuilt after penile cancer?
Yes, for some men. An operation called phalloplasty builds a new penis from skin, fat and sometimes nerve taken from another part of the body, usually the forearm or the thigh. It is a long process over several operations, and it is usually considered only once the cancer has been treated and follow-up has shown it is under control.
What it can and cannot give back
A rebuilt penis can let a man pass urine standing again and can restore a more familiar appearance. With a later implant, some men can have penetrative sex. It does not have the natural erections, feel or appearance of the original penis. Most men who go ahead describe it as a different kind of normal, not a return to how things were.
Who it may not suit
It is a demanding set of operations, and not every man is fit for it. Heavy smoking, poorly controlled diabetes, serious heart or lung disease, and a cancer that is still active usually rule it out, at least for now. Men who cannot manage several hospital stays and many follow-up visits may also find the process too much. Many men decide not to have it at all, and that is a reasonable choice.
This operation is carried out by plastic and reconstructive surgeons with experience in microsurgery. Only a limited number of centres in India offer it, so ask where it is available.Where the tissue comes from
Which ways of rebuilding a penis might be discussed?
Each takes tissue from a different place. The surgeon chooses on the basis of your body, your skin and what you want most.
Forearm flap
Skin, fat, a blood vessel and a nerve are taken from the inside of the forearm and moved to the groin. Tiny blood vessels are joined under a microscope. The nerve can allow some feeling to return.
Things to know
- Leaves a visible scar on the arm
- Needs a skin graft on the forearm
Thigh flap
Tissue is taken from the outer front of the thigh and swung up to the groin while still attached to its own blood supply. The scar is easier to hide.
Things to know
- Can be bulky in men with more thigh fat
- Feeling may be less than with the forearm
Other local flaps
Skin from the lower belly or the groin can sometimes be used. These are simpler operations but usually give less feeling and are less suited to passing urine through the new penis.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistThe pathway
What are the stages, from cancer treatment to a rebuilt penis?
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Cancer treatment and a period of follow-up
The first priority is treating the cancer. Most teams want a stretch of clear follow-up before planning reconstruction, because a new penis can make it harder to check the area for any return.
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Assessment by a reconstructive surgeon
Your general health, blood vessels, skin and scars from earlier surgery or radiotherapy are checked. This is also when you discuss what you most want from the operation.
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Building the new penis
The main operation is long. You stay in hospital while the flap is watched closely for its blood supply in the first days.
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Joining the urine channel
Sometimes done at the same time and sometimes as a later stage, so you can pass urine through the tip of the new penis.
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An implant for firmness
A rebuilt penis cannot become hard on its own. For penetrative sex, a penile implant is usually placed at a later operation, once the flap has settled and some feeling has returned.
Honest expectations
What is realistic, and what is not?
Often possible
Not usually possible
Passing urine standing, once the channel has healed
A natural erection without an implant
Some touch and pressure feeling, over time
The same feeling as the original penis
Penetrative sex with an implant
Everything achieved in a single operation
A more familiar appearance in clothes and when undressed
An exact match in colour and shape
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Commonly believed
What do families often believe about reconstruction?
"It can be done at the same time as removing the cancer."
Almost never. The cancer operation comes first, and reconstruction is planned later, once the area has healed and follow-up has been reassuring. Combining them can delay cancer treatment or hide a return.
"A rebuilt penis works exactly like the original."
It does not. It needs an implant to become firm, feeling returns slowly and partly, and the urine channel can narrow or leak. Knowing this before you start makes the result easier to live with.
"If he does not have it, he is giving up."
Many men choose not to have reconstruction and live full lives. The decision depends on health, priorities and how much surgery a man wants to go through. Neither choice is a failure.
"Once it is done, there is nothing more to deal with."
Further small operations are common, especially on the urine channel. Implants can wear out or become infected and may need replacing. It is a long relationship with a surgical team.
Before you decide
What should you ask, and what can this page not tell you?
This page cannot tell you whether phalloplasty is right for you, or whether you are fit for it. That depends on your cancer, your follow-up so far, your general health and the tissue available. It also cannot tell you what it will cost, because the number of stages differs from man to man.
Questions to take to a reconstructive surgeon
How many of these operations have you done after cancer? Which flap do you suggest for me, and why? How many stages should I expect, and how long in hospital each time? What are the common problems, and how are they fixed? Will I need an implant, and who places it? How will my cancer follow-up continue after reconstruction?
Talk about cost and cover early
Reconstruction is costly and spread over several admissions. Ask in writing what each stage covers, and check with Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or your insurer what they will and will not pay for. Cover for reconstruction can differ from cover for the cancer operation itself.
Your cancer surgeon can refer you for an assessment. Asking about reconstruction does not commit you to it.
Did you know
After a total penectomy, the urine opening is moved to the area behind the scrotum and men pass urine sitting down. Many men live with this for years without reconstruction. Phalloplasty is one option among several, not a step every man is expected to take.
Questions we are asked
Common questions about phalloplasty after penile cancer
Is phalloplasty available in India?
Yes, but only in a limited number of centres with plastic and reconstructive surgeons trained in microsurgery. Most of their experience may be in other groups of patients, so ask how many operations they have done after cancer. Your cancer surgeon can help you find a team and share your reports with them.
How long after cancer surgery can it be done?
There is no single rule. Most teams want the wound fully healed and a period of reassuring follow-up first, so any return of the cancer is not missed. Your cancer surgeon and the reconstructive surgeon decide the timing together, based on your own risk and pathology report.
Will I be able to have sex?
Some men can, with a penile implant placed at a later stage. The implant makes the penis firm enough for penetration. Orgasm depends on nerves deeper in the body and may still be possible. Feeling in the new penis returns slowly and is not the same as before.
Will I be able to father a child?
If the testicles have been kept, you still make sperm, but passing it naturally may not be possible. Many couples use assisted methods, where sperm is collected and used in a fertility clinic. Ask about storing sperm before any cancer treatment that could affect fertility.
What are the common problems after phalloplasty?
The urine channel can narrow or leak through a small hole, which often needs a further operation. Part of the flap can lose its blood supply. Implants can become infected or wear out. The place the tissue was taken from leaves a scar. Your surgeon should explain each of these before you agree.
Does Aarogyasri or insurance pay for it?
It depends on the scheme and the policy. Reconstruction may be treated differently from the cancer operation. Ask the hospital for a written estimate for each stage, and check with Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS, EHS or your insurer what is covered before you commit to the first operation.
Can I have it if I had radiotherapy to the groin?
Sometimes. Radiotherapy can damage the blood vessels and skin that a flap relies on, which can make the operation harder and healing slower. The reconstructive surgeon will examine the area and may arrange scans of the blood vessels before deciding.
My father is older. Is he too old for this?
Age alone is not the deciding factor, but general health matters a great deal. Long anaesthetics and several operations are hard on the heart and lungs. Some older men decide the burden is not worth it. Let him hear the options himself and make his own choice.
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Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
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Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Penile cancer: treatment
- Macmillan Cancer Support — Penile cancer
- American Cancer Society — Penile cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Penile Cancer Treatment (PDQ) - Patient Version
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
Total Penectomy and Perineal UrethrostomyThe operation most men have before considering reconstructionSexual Function After Partial PenectomyWhat is usually kept when part of the penis remainsBody Image and Identity After Penile SurgeryLiving with the change, whatever you decideFollow-Up After Penile Cancer SurgeryThe check-ups that come before any reconstruction
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