A new study recently released has said that men with a bent penis have a significantly increased risk of cancer.
According to the study, which was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine in San Antonio, Texas, United States (US) on October 28, a gene that may trigger crooked penis could also be linked to the development of tumours.
The findings showed that a bent penis also known as Peyronie’s brought a higher risk of testicular cancer by 40 per cent, melanoma by 29 per cent and stomach cancer by 40 per cent. To this end, the researchers from Baylor College in Houston, Texas, said men with bent penis should be closely monitored for cancer in a bid to catch any development early.
The research emerged after a review of patient data of more than 1.5 million. Peyronie’s disease is the development of fibrous scar tissue inside the penis that causes curved, painful erections. Penis varies in shape and size; and having a curved erection isn’t necessarily a cause for concern.
But Peyronie’s disease causes a significant bend or pain in some men. It’s thought that Peyronie’s generally results from repeated injury to the penis, but researchers also think it may be genetic and had linked it to other illnesses.
Peyronie’s disease was estimated to affect up to seven per cent of males. Dr. Alexander Pastuszak, who led the study, said: “While they’re significant in the sexual and reproductive lifecycles of these patients, linking them to other disorders suggest that these men should be monitored for development of these disorders disproportionately in contrast to the rest of the population.
A ‘mailonline’ report quoted Pastuszak as saying; “Nobody has made these associations before.”
The researchers carried out further genetic analysis of a father and son both suffering from Peyronie’s. They discovered they shared a set of genes understood to predispose people to urological cancer.
“We found mutations in this father and son couplet in these types of genes, specifically in melanoma, testis, and prostate cancer,” said Pastuszak.
He said the condition shares some similarities with Dupuytren’s disease, a condition in which one or more fingers become permanently bent in a flexed position. They also found links with Ledderhose disease, a thickening of tissue on the feet.
