Melanoma on the penile shaft: what to know

Melanoma can affect genital skin and may appear as a dark patch, irregular mole, raised area, nodule, or sore. Colour can vary, and some lesions are not painful. Irritation, infection, injury, inflammatory skin conditions, and other benign growths can create similar changes, so a visual impression cannot diagnose melanoma.

A clinician may examine the shaft, glans, foreskin, groin and nearby lymph nodes, with your consent and privacy respected. A biopsy is used when needed to identify the lesion. The result helps determine whether further surgery, staging, or oncology input is appropriate.

Arrange a confidential appointment with a dermatologist, urologist, or sexual-health clinician for a new or changing mark. Do not scrape it, use wart treatments, or postpone review because the area is sensitive. Tell the clinician about friction, shaving, sexual contact, new products, bleeding, discharge, and any earlier cancer diagnosis.

Treatment may involve Surgical Excision or other Skin Cancer Surgery, with care taken to preserve function where possible. The team may discuss groin lymph-node assessment, sentinel lymph node biopsy, and immunotherapy if the stage makes it relevant. A treatment plan is based on examination and pathology rather than location alone.

Seek prompt medical review for a mark that grows, changes colour or border, bleeds, crusts, becomes firm, or forms a persistent ulcer. Seek urgent care for heavy bleeding, inability to pass urine, rapidly increasing swelling, fever with spreading redness, or severe pain. These symptoms can arise from infection or injury, but they should not be ignored.

Ask what the lesion could be, whether a biopsy is needed, and how privacy and discomfort will be managed. Ask what the pathology terms mean, whether groin nodes need assessment, and how treatment could affect sensation, erections, urination, or appearance. Ask how follow-up will monitor the treated area and the rest of your skin.