A DAD who contracted a virus “most people will get” received a shock terminal diagnosis and had to have four inches of his penis “chopped off”.
Patrick Howard, 65, was initially told it could be thrush when he noticed itching and redness on his member in April 2020.
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But Patrick, who is now retired and lives with his wife Laura, 59, in Liverpool, was later diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of penile cancer, caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), and given six to eight months to live.
Patrick initially joked to Laura, saying, “surely they’re not going to chop it off?”, but his consultant said a penectomy was recommended as the best course of treatment.
The dad underwent surgery to remove two-thirds – approximately four inches – of his penis.
As lumps continued to appear post-surgery, Patrick then underwent radiotherapy, followed by two types of chemotherapy, which was “horrendous”.
Read more on penile cancer
Thankfully, there has been no further progression of the disease over the past few months.
Patrick said more people need to be aware of penile cancer and HPV.
He told PA Real Life: “My penile cancer is caused by HPV, and most people will get HPV at some point in their lives.
“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.”
NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer, Professor Peter Johnson, said: “We’re very sorry to hear about Patrick’s prognosis, but very thankful to him for speaking openly about his experience of penile cancer and his call for awareness about this form of the disease.
“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.”
Penile cancer is very rare and mostly affects men aged over 50 years old – and roughly half of all penile cancers are caused by certain types of HPV, the NHS says.
Before being diagnosed with penile cancer, Patrick first suffered prostate cancer – which he was diagnosed with “by accident” in October 2018 after undergoing routine check-ups and blood tests.
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He underwent a radical prostatectomy – the removal of the entire prostate gland – to treat the disease and then “put that behind [him]”.
‘Deeply shocked’
In April 2020, Patrick noticed his penis was itchy, red and sore, and, during a phone consultation, a nurse suggested it could be thrush – a common yeast infection which affects men and women.
He was prescribed some topical creams, but none alleviated his symptoms, so he visited his GP in September 2020.
“It was a beautiful day and I breezed in there, feeling lucky to actually see a GP in person [during the Covid-19 pandemic],” Patrick explained.
“And my GP said, ‘I hate to say it, but I think you’ve got penile cancer’.”
Patrick was shocked as he had never heard of penile cancer, and he saw a specialist on October 9, 2020 – his 61st birthday – at Clatterbridge Hospital.
He said the specialist told him that he had “an extremely rare and aggressive form of penile cancer” and, without treatment, the prognosis was “bleak” – leaving him with only six to eight months to live.
“We were shocked, deeply shocked, and he said I needed to have an operation,” Patrick explained.
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“I said to Laura, my now-wife, ‘I don’t know what operation they’re going to do, but surely they’re not going to chop it off?’
“And she said, ‘Well, I hate to say this, but I think that’s exactly what they’re going to do’.”
Feeling “bewildered” about the prospect of a penectomy, Patrick was referred to The Christie, the largest single site cancer centre in Europe, where he underwent further tests and scans.
He was also told he had renal cancer, as doctors had discovered a tumour on his kidney.
He then had the procedure to surgically remove two-thirds – approximately four inches – of his penis, followed by surgery to remove some lymph nodes around his groin and pelvic area and then radiotherapy.
He said he questioned doctors over whether he would be able to urinate normally and have sex again after the penectomy – and he wants to encourage other men to be open about these “important” topics.
Gruelling treatment
Speaking about intimacy with Laura, he explained: “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 and Laura got married on November 5, 2021, and the pair decided to venture on some holidays and arrange trips to see friends and family.
However, with lumps continuing to appear on his penis, it was decided that Patrick would need to undergo chemotherapy, which he said was “heavy duty” and caused side effects of hair loss, lethargy, loss of taste, “brain irritation” and short-term memory loss.
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
Patrick Howard
He later underwent a second, new type of chemotherapy, which finished in October 2023, and since then Patrick has been managing his condition and going for regular three-monthly scans.
“Doctors said there was probably a less than 10 per cent chance that it would work, this new chemotherapy,” Patrick said.
“I think I was the second patient on it for penile cancer.”
Patrick’s most recent scan showed that his existing lumps have either shrunk or remained the same size and there has been no further progression of the disease.
In support of non-profit organisations Global Action on Men’s Health and Noman is an Island: Race to End HPV, he is campaigning for more equitable, gender-neutral HPV vaccination programmes worldwide.
Protect yourself and get checked
Patrick and Laura, who have six children between them, recently went on a road trip around Italy and Patrick said he feels “amazing” at the moment.
Although he is uncertain whether he will need further treatment, he wants to raise more awareness of penile cancer and HPV and encourage men to speak out.
He said: “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 added: “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.”
Penile cancer and HPV
Penile cancer is a rare type of cancer that affects around 700 mean in the UK each year.
Most penile cancers affect the skin covering the penis – known as the foreskin – or the head or tip of the penis.
The most common symptoms are:
- A growth, lump or sore that does not heal within 4 weeks
- A rash
- Bleeding from your penis or under your foreskin
- A smelly discharge
- Difficulty pulling back your foreskin
- A change in the colour of the skin of your penis or foreskin
Other symptoms of penile cancer may include:
- A lump in your groin
- Feeling tired
- Tummy pain
- Losing weight without trying
You should see a GP if you have any changes to the look of your penis, bleeding or discharge, or any other symptoms of penile cancer that aren’t going away.
What does HPV have to do with penile cancer?
Roughly half of all penile cancers are caused by high risk strains a virus called human papillomavirus (HPV).
There are different types of HPV and some affect the genital area.
You can get HPV from:
- any skin-to-skin contact of the genital area
- vaginal, anal or oral sex
- sharing sex toys
Most people affected by HPV will not get penile cancer.
Penile cancer is most common in men over the age of 50. It can affect anyone with a penis.
You might also be more likely to get penile cancer if you:
- Smoke
- Have problems pulling back your foreskin to keep your penis clean (a condition called phimosis)
- Have or had treatment for psoriasis with medicines called psoralens and an ultraviolet (UVA) light source (called PUVA treatment)
- Have a weakened immune system because of a condition like HIV
Source: NHS, Cancer Research UK
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.
“The HPV programme, now just a single jab for most of those under 25, is one of the most successful in the world and has dramatically lowered the rates of cervical cancer and harmful infections in women and men – preventing many cancers and saving lives.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our thoughts are with Patrick and we commend him for his efforts in raising awareness of his condition.
“Patrick’s story serves as a reminder that we need to do more to improve the detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
“As part of our 10-year plan to radically reform our broken NHS, we will fight cancer on all fronts, from prevention, to diagnosis, treatment, and research.”
For more information about Global Action on Men’s Health and Noman is an Island: Race to End HPV’s campaign, visit: nomancampaign.org and endhpvglobal.org.
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