Medical Oncologist
CION Cancer Clinics
Penile cancer surgery: what your options are | CION Cancer Clinics
Surgery for penile cancer ranges from a circumcision, which removes only the foreskin, to a total penectomy, which removes the whole penis. Most men whose cancer is found early keep the shaft. Which operation is offered depends on where the cancer sits, how deep it has grown and whether the groin glands are involved. This page explains each option and what the team weighs when choosing. 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
- What are the surgical options for penile cancer?
- The five operations, and what each one removes
- How the team works out which operation to offer
- Words you will meet, in plain language
- Four things men tell us, and what is actually true
- What this page cannot tell you
- Common questions about penile cancer surgery
The short answer
What are the surgical options for penile cancer?
Surgery for penile cancer ranges from a circumcision, which removes only the foreskin, to a total penectomy, which removes the whole penis. Between those two ends sit several operations that remove only the affected part and keep as much of the penis as is safe. Which one is offered depends on where the cancer sits, how deep it goes and whether the groin glands are involved.
Why the range is so wide
Most penile cancers start on the foreskin or the head of the penis, called the glans. A small cancer caught early may need only the foreskin or a patch of skin removed. A cancer that has grown into the spongy tissue inside the shaft needs more taken away. The surgeon's aim is to remove all of the cancer with a rim of healthy tissue around it, called the margin, while leaving as much of the penis as possible.
Who decides, and what they weigh
Your treating team decides, and they decide with you. They look at the biopsy report, which gives the type and grade of the cancer, and at scans that show how deep it has grown. They also examine the groin, because penile cancer spreads first to the lymph glands there. This page explains the options. It cannot tell you which one is right for you.
Bring every report you have to the first appointment.From smallest to largest
The five operations, and what each one removes
Each is a real option for a particular stage of the disease. Your team will usually name one of them at the planning appointment.
Circumcision
The foreskin is removed. It is a treatment on its own only when the cancer sits entirely in the foreskin and has not reached the glans.
Usually offered for
- Pre-cancer changes confined to the foreskin
- A small cancer that has not reached the glans
Wide local excision and laser treatment
A small cancer on the skin of the glans or shaft is cut out with a rim of healthy tissue, or destroyed with a laser. The penis keeps its shape and length.
Not every centre has a laser. Ask what yours would offer for a small surface cancer.Glansectomy and resurfacing
The skin of the glans, or the whole glans, is removed and a thin skin graft from the thigh is laid over the end. The shaft is kept, so length and passing urine standing are usually kept too.
Usually offered for
- Cancer confined to the glans
- Pre-cancer across a wide area of the glans
Partial penectomy
The end of the penis, including the glans and part of the shaft, is removed. What remains is usually long enough to pass urine standing.
Total penectomy
The whole penis is removed and the urine tube is brought out to a new opening behind the scrotum. You pass urine sitting down. It is offered when the cancer has grown too far along the shaft for anything less to be safe.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistThe pathway
How the team works out which operation to offer
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The biopsy
A small piece of the growth is looked at under a microscope. This confirms it is cancer, and gives the type and grade, which means how abnormal the cells look.
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Examination and scans
The surgeon examines the penis and the groin. An MRI or ultrasound shows how deep the cancer has grown into the shaft. A CT or PET-CT may be added to check the groin and pelvic glands.
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Staging
Staging means how far the cancer has spread. Cancer confined to the skin of the glans is treated very differently from cancer that has grown into the spongy tissue or reached the glands.
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The tumour board
A surgical oncologist, a urologist, a medical oncologist and a radiation oncologist discuss the case together and agree the operation that removes the cancer with a safe margin while taking the least.
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The groin decision
Separately, the team decides whether the groin glands need to be sampled or removed, at the same operation or a few weeks later.
On your report
Words you will meet, in plain language
- Glans
- The head of the penis. Most penile cancers start here or on the foreskin that covers it.
- Corpora cavernosa
- The two spongy tubes inside the shaft that fill with blood during an erection. Cancer that has grown into them usually needs a partial or total penectomy.
- PeIN or carcinoma in situ
- Pre-cancer confined to the surface layer of skin. It has not grown inward and is often treated with circumcision, creams or skin removal.
- Margin
- The rim of healthy tissue removed around the cancer. A clear margin means no cancer cells were found at the edge of what was taken.
- Lymph nodes
- Small glands in the groin that filter fluid from the penis. They are the first place this cancer spreads, which is why they are examined and sometimes removed.
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Commonly believed
Four things men tell us, and what is actually true
"Surgery for this always means losing the penis."
It does not. Most men whose cancer is found early keep the shaft. Total penectomy is offered only when the cancer has grown a long way down the shaft. The biggest factor in keeping the penis is how early the growth is seen by a doctor.
"A cream or an ointment will make it go away."
A cream is a real treatment for pre-cancer confined to the surface skin, and only after a biopsy has confirmed that. Putting a cream on a growth that has not been biopsied delays the diagnosis while the growth keeps deepening.
"If it is small, they can just burn it off in the clinic."
Some very small surface cancers are treated with a laser or a minor excision. Even then the surgeon needs a biopsy first and a clear margin afterwards. What looks small on the surface can be deeper underneath.
"After the operation there is nothing more to do."
Follow-up matters more after penile-sparing surgery, because the cancer can come back on the skin that was kept. Regular checks pick this up early, when it can be treated again.
Being straight with you
What this page cannot tell you
This page cannot tell you which operation you need. That comes from your biopsy, your scans and an examination by a surgeon who treats this cancer regularly. Two growths that look the same on the outside can need very different operations.
Who the smaller operations do not suit
Penile-sparing surgery is not offered when the cancer has grown into the spongy tissue of the shaft, when it is high grade and spreading fast, or when a smaller operation has already been tried and the cancer has come back. In those situations a smaller operation leaves cancer behind, and the team will say so plainly.
What to ask at the planning appointment
Ask what will be removed and what will remain. Ask how you will pass urine afterwards, standing or sitting. Ask whether the groin glands are being sampled and when. Ask what happens if the margin is not clear. Write the answers down, because it is hard to remember them later.
If you have a growth, sore or lump on the penis that has not been seen by a doctor, the most useful thing this page can do is send you to one this week.Questions we are asked
Common questions about penile cancer surgery
Will I lose my penis?
Not usually, if the cancer is found while it is still on the foreskin or the glans. Most men in that situation keep the shaft. The whole penis is removed only when the cancer has grown a long way down it. Your surgeon can tell you which group you are in after the scan and biopsy, not before.
Can I choose the smaller operation even if the team advises a bigger one?
You can always ask, and the team should explain what a smaller operation would leave behind. A bigger operation is usually advised because a smaller one would not remove all of the cancer. A second opinion from another surgical oncologist is a reasonable step if you are unsure.
Is radiotherapy an option instead of surgery?
For some small cancers of the glans, radiotherapy given from outside or from a small source placed against the tumour is an alternative to surgery. It is not offered everywhere and does not suit every tumour. Ask your team whether it is an option for your stage.
Why does the surgeon keep examining my groin?
Because the glands in the groin are the first place penile cancer spreads. Whether they need to be sampled or removed is decided separately from the operation on the penis. If they feel enlarged, the team may scan them or take a needle sample first.
How long will I be in hospital?
It depends on the operation. Circumcision and small excisions are usually day-care or one night. Glansectomy and partial penectomy usually mean a few nights while the wound settles. Total penectomy and groin surgery mean longer. Ask your team for the typical stay for the operation planned.
Will I be able to have sex afterwards?
After circumcision, excision or glansectomy, many men do, though sensation changes. After partial penectomy it depends on how much shaft remains. After total penectomy, penetrative sex is not possible, though intimacy is. Ask the surgeon directly. It is asked more often than you think.
What happens if the margin is not clear?
The pathology report after surgery says whether cancer cells were found at the edge of what was removed. If they were, the team usually advises a further operation to remove a little more, or sometimes radiotherapy. It does not mean the first operation failed.
Is this covered by Aarogyasri or my insurance?
Cancer surgery is usually covered under Aarogyasri, CGHS, ECHS and EHS, and most cashless insurers are empanelled at CION. Cover depends on the scheme and the operation planned, so call the helpline with your card details and we will check before you travel.
Meet the Specialists
17+ senior cancer specialists. One panel for your case.
Trained at AIIMS, Tata Memorial, and leading international centres. Combined 150+ years of experience. Every complex case is reviewed by 3+ of them — together.
Medical Oncologist
Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy
MBBS(Gold Medal), DNB(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Gold Medal)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Bharati Devi Gorantla
MBBS, MD(General Medicine), DM(Medical Oncology)(Adyar,Chennai), ECMO, MRCP SCE(UK)
Medical Oncologist
Dr. Owais Mohammed
MBBS, MD (General Medicine), DrNB (Medical Oncology), ECMO, MRCP SCE (Medical Oncology) (UK)
Medical Oncologist
Medical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Muralidhar Muddusetty
MBBS (AIIMS), MS (Surgery) (AIIMS), DNB (Surgical Oncology), MRCS (Edinburgh)
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vinay Mamidala
MBBS, MS(General Surgery), M.Ch(Surgical Oncology), FMAS, FARIS(Ongoing)
Surgical Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Radiation Oncologist
Hematologist
Surgical Oncologist
Dr. Vajja Sandeep Kumar
MBBS, MS (General Surgery), DrNB (Surgical Oncology), FALS Oncology
Surgical Oncologist
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Sources
- Cancer Research UK — Penile cancer: treatment
- NHS — Penile cancer
- National Cancer Institute — Penile Cancer Treatment (PDQ) - Patient Version
- American Cancer Society — Penile cancer
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
Penile-sparing surgery: glansectomy and wide excisionThe operations that keep the shaft, in detailPartial penectomy: what is removedWhat remains and what changesGroin node surgery in penile cancerThe separate decision about the groin glandsDeciding on cancer surgeryHow to weigh what the team recommendsPenile cancer surgery cost in HyderabadIndicative ranges and what schemes cover
Talk to us
Been told you need surgery and want it explained?
Send us the biopsy report and any scans, or call the helpline. A surgical oncologist will go through the options with you and your family. One helpline serves every CION centre.