Dad who had four inches of penis 'chopped off' issues warning after 'aggressive' cancer diagnosis

Patrick Howard had the penectomy surgery to remove two-thirds of his penis after he noticed “itching and redness,” which was initially dismissed by a nurse as just thrush, he said

A dad has described his shock after doctors told him he would need to get four inches of his penis 'chopped off' after he was diagnosed with a rare cancer.

Patrick Howard had the penectomy surgery to remove two-thirds of his penis after he noticed “itching and redness,” which was initially dismissed as thrush, he said. Patrick, 65, underwent a procedure to remove his prostate after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018 and eighteen months later, he noticed itching and redness on his penis.

During a phone consultation in April 2020 a nurse suggested it could be thrush and Patrick, from Liverpool, was prescribed some topical creams but he visited his GP in person in September when the symptoms had not cleared up. “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 said. “And my GP said, ‘I hate to say it, but I think you’ve got penile cancer’.”

Patrick said he 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 said. “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’.”

He was also told he had renal cancer, as doctors had discovered a tumour on his kidney, the Manchester Evening News reports. 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. 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, which was 'fantastic', 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.

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% 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. 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.

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.”

Patrick says more people need to be aware of penile cancer and HPV. 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.

He said: “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.”

Dr Sharif Ismail, consultant epidemiologist at the 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.”