An 18-year-old Briton is the first in the island nation to be diagnosed with a very rare form of penile disease.
His very unusual medical history is now being discussed in The Cureus Journal of Medical Sciencewhich is a peer-reviewed medical journal.
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Waited and waited
Urologist Peter Estaphanous and his colleagues at North Bristol NHS Trust say the 18-year-old examined them with a painful lump in the root of his penis.
The man had been walking around with the bullet for three months before seeking help.
It is not clear why he waited so long before calling the doctor.
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Six centimetres
The bullet had grown and grown, says Estaphanous, but it hasn’t yet affected either sex life or urination.
Further examination of the man showed the bullet was about six centimeters long.
The ball was connected to the underlying penile structures.
A biopsy of the ball was taken, which revealed that the ball contained cancer cells.
BIG BALL: An MRI exam of the man showed the ball on his penis was close to six centimeters. Photo: North Bristol NHS Trust
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First time
Much indicated that the 18-year-old had the very rare Ewing sarcoma cancer.
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According to Great Norwegian encyclopedia Ewing’s sarcoma is a cancerous tumor that usually originates in bone tissue.
Oslo University Hospital states that Ewing’s sarcoma most often occurs in the skeleton, such as in the legs, pelvis, spine, humerus, or ribs.
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Symptoms of sarcoma are usually painful swelling, as well as fever, weakness, anemia, and high blood loss.
Urologists scratched their heads after examining the 18-year-old.
If so, this would be the first time in UK history that anyone has contracted this disease in their penis.
– Given the rarity of the case, it was histopathological the diagnosis challenging, they write.
They then had to consult a pathology expert, who could confirm that the 18-year-old did indeed have Ewing’s sarcoma.
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I had to remove the penis
The 18-year-old underwent chemotherapy and was offered sperm storage.
After eleven rounds of chemotherapy, the ball had shrunk significantly.
The man then had to undergo a so-called total penectomy, meaning his entire penis had to be amputated.
Then the urethra had to be reconstructed.
REDUCED: After several chemotherapy treatments, the tumor began to shrink. Photo: North Bristol NHS Trust
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He underwent three more rounds of chemotherapy before finally being discharged.
In the medical journal, the doctors write that the 18-year-old, who will have to undergo frequent checks in the years to come, will finally be able to have his penis reconstructed.
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Only six cases in the world
Urologists say they have read the medical literature to look for similar cases.
They found that Ewing’s sarcoma had never before been documented on a penis in the UK.
They say only six cases worldwide have been documented over time: two in China, one in India, one in the United States, one in Turkey and one in the Czech Republic.
The youngest case was only twelve years old, while the oldest was 32.
