Living with Penile Cancer: Effects on Psychology and Quality of Life

The male penis is first the organ through which a man passes urine and voids in the standing position. Second, the penis is an organ that is used for sexual purposes, either when masturbating or when penetrating a woman for procreation or for sexual pleasure. However, and perhaps no less importantly, the penis is also of enormous psychological importance to men. In many cultures the penis symbolizes masculinity with attributes such as strength, endurance, ability, courage, intelligence, knowledge, dominance over other men, and possession of women. Some of these concepts date back over many thousands of years; for instance, there is evidence that prehistoric cave dwellers equated the values of strength and power (as well as virility and fertility) to penile size. Given this historical context it is perhaps no surprise that even today many men place great importance on the size and appearance of their penis.