A curved penis increases men’s risk of certain cancers, study finds

Men with curved penises are at a higher risk of certain cancers, new research shows.

Researchers at Baylor College in Houston who reviewed patient data of over 1.5-million men from the Truven Health MarketScan database found a link between those with Peyronie’s Disease — also known as penile fibrosis — and skin, stomach, and testicular cancers.

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The risk of getting testicular cancer and stomach cancer is 40 per cent higher for men with the condition, and the likelihood of melanoma jumps 29 per cent, the study shows.

Researchers found this out after examining 48,423 men with Peyronie’s as part of the study, 1,177,428 with erectile dysfunction and 484,230 controls with an average age of 49.8 years over a four-year period.

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“While they’re significant in the sexual and reproductive life-cycles of these patients, linking them to other disorders suggests these men should be monitored for development of these disorders disproportionately in contrast to the rest of the population,” Dr. Alexander Pastuszak, lead author of the study, told The Telegraph.

Researchers also looked at the genetic analysis of a father and son who both had Peyronie’s and discovered they shared the same genes that predispose people to urological cancers.

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This was the first study to demonstrate a higher risk of cancer among men with Peyronie’s, the study says, and future research should focus on confirming these associations.

The findings were presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and published in the journal Fertility and Sterility.

According to the Canadian Urological Association, Peyronie’s is an inflammatory disease of the penis which may cause discomfort and curvature with erections. It is believed to affect at least one per cent of all men. The cause of the disease is unknown.

It is the development of fibrous scar tissue inside the penis, which is what causes the curvature and pain, the Mayo Clinic adds.

Men are diagnosed by a physician following an examination of the penis for a lump or tenderness in the area of the curvature.

Treatments are available to reduce pain and help in sexual function.