A man from Liverpool who lost four inches of his penis due to a rare condition has issued a serious warning to others.
Patrick Howard, 65, noticed that that his penis was becoming red and itchy in April 2020, after doctors told him it could be a thrush.
Following further inspection, a specialist confirmed in October that the father had a health condition called human papillomavirus (HPV), causing an 'aggressive' form of penile cancer, with a terminal diagnosis.
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This would be the second time Patrick's had cancer after he had his prostate removed in October 2018.
"Surely they’re not going to chop it off?" Patrick told his wife Laura, 59, when his consultant recommended a penectomy to be the best treatment.
Approximately two-thirds of his penis was removed, but the lumps were still not going away post-surgery.
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This meant that Patrick had to undergo radiotherapy, along with two types of 'horrendous' chemotherapy.
Thankfully though, there has been no progression of the cancer over the past few months.
Patrick has urged others to become more clued up on the dangers of penile cancer and HPV before it's too late.
"My penile cancer is caused by HPV, and most people will get HPV at some point in their lives," he told PA Real Life.
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"If you have HPV, it’s very unlikely you’ll get cancer, but more people need to know about the possibility.
"The HPV inoculation campaign for boys and girls needs to be much more widespread."
While penile cancer happens to be quite rare, almost half of cases are caused by certain cases of HPV.
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Notably, the disease mostly affects men aged 50 and over.
Continuing to explain how he and his wife are still intimate with one another after having most of his penis removed, he said: “It’s not penetrative, but there’s a whole load of other things you can do, and there’s still a lot of pleasure and sensation.
“It’s only strengthened our strong relationship.”
Patrick's chemo finished in October 2023 and regular scans, thus far, have been positive.
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“Doctors said there was probably a less than 10 percent chance that it would work, this new chemotherapy,” Patrick said.
“I think I was the second patient on it for penile cancer.
“I didn’t even know penile cancer existed.
“All men should go and get checked and keep their partner in the loop from the beginning – I wouldn’t have been able to get through this without Laura.
“Men are crap at talking about stuff, but definitely talk to your nearest and dearest and don’t be embarrassed.”
Laura said: “It has been so hard… but because it’s a terminal diagnosis, and the fact that it was in 2020 and he’s still here and really well, we almost feel it was all worth it because we’ve been given extra time together and had amazing adventures.”
NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer, Professor Peter Johnson, added: “In England, the HPV vaccine is offered to all children between the ages of 11-13, those up to the age of 25 who have missed their vaccination, or men who have sex with men.
“Anyone with worrying symptoms should contact their GP because detecting cancer early gives the best chance of successful treatment.”
Dr Sharif Ismail, consultant epidemiologist at UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), said: “The HPV vaccine for boys was introduced in schools in 2019 and all pupils are now offered this vaccine in year 8 or 9.
“It not only protects young women against cervical cancer but also protects men and women against genital warts and some other cancers of the genital areas and anus, as well as some mouth and throat cancers.”
Anish Vij