Gruesome picture shows the ‘cauliflower-like’ tumour on man’s penis

Man is diagnosed with cauliflower-like cancerous tumour on his penis after a police officer was suspicious of a ‘large bulge in his pants’ when they pulled him over

  • GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: Doctors released a photo of the cancer
  • The patient was diagnosed with a rare cancer thought to be caused by HPV 
  • He had to have chemotherapy and surgery to cut off his giant groin growths

A man who got pulled over by the police was diagnosed with cancer on his penis after an officer became suspicious of a ‘large bulge in his pants’.

The 39-year-old man, from West Virginia, went to a hospital after the police officer had picked up on the large growth in his groin.

There, a doctor’s exam revealed he had a ‘large cauliflower-like mass’ covering his penis and the patient revealed it had ruined his sex life.

The gigantic growth was actually a rare type of penile cancer which is considered an STI because it is believed to be caused by HPV.

After extensive surgery and chemotherapy, the man recovered from his illness and doctors managed to keep his penis intact.  

Doctors describe the tumours growing on the man’s penis as ‘cauliflower-like’ (stock image)

Doctors from Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, published the tale in a medical case report which doesn’t identify the patient.

The reason for him being stopped by the police was not revealed. It is unclear if the officers asked to physically see his growth or if he just told them about his ailment. 

Dr Anthony El Khoury and colleagues released a graphic photograph of the tumour, showing how it had spread ‘erratically and rapidly’ all over his groin. 

They said the man suffered from Buschke-Lowenstein tumour, ‘an aggressive locally invading tumor that grows in a wart-like fashion’. 

‘BLT is characterized by it being a low-grade tumor,’ the doctors wrote, meaning the cancer is not very aggressive or deadly. The medics did not reveal how long the growth had been there for.

A graphic image showed the tumour had grown to extend all over the man's groin and doctors said it had ruined his sex life

A graphic image showed the tumour had grown to extend all over the man’s groin and doctors said it had ruined his sex life

WHAT IS A BUSCHKE LOWENSTEIN TUMOUR?

Buschke-Lowenstein tumour is a type of rare cancer which is also considered a sexually-transmitted disease.

It usually affects the groin and anus and causes fast-growing wart-like lumps to grow.

BLT is considered a low-grade cancer which means it usually does not spread aggressively or pose an immediate threat to life.

It can spread in the pelvic area but it’s rare for it to invade other parts of the body. It may stop people having sex or using the toilet properly.

It’s unclear how many people suffer from the disease but one study suggests it may affect one in 1,000 people (0.1 per cent) in the general population.

The condition has been linked to HPV types 6 and 11, which are very common and also cause genital warts, but a cause has not been confirmed.

BLT can usually be treated with surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.

Sources: US Department of Health; Journal of Dermatological Case Reports

‘That, coupled with the sensitivity of the subject of male genitalia, makes the “obvious” choice of a [penis removal] not always suitable as a management plan as it highly impacts quality of life.’

They added: ‘Like most patients, our patient wanted to fight for penile preservation.

‘Their quality of life had been heavily impacted by the tumour especially since they had not experienced intimacy with their partners for years, due to their medical condition.’

BLT is poorly understood – it’s thought to affect only around one in 1,000 people and has been linked to HPV types 6 and 11, which are extremely common and cause genital warts, in scientific studies.

Many cases would be treated before they became as bad as this one.

Doctors started the man’s treatment by giving him chemotherapy to try and shrink the tumours.

They then did two rounds of surgery to slice the cauliflower-like growths off his penis, and said it was tricky because they were so close to his urethra.

They then gave him more chemotherapy, during which he suffered weight loss, anorexia, joint pain and nerve pain in his legs, to stop the tumours from growing back.

A photograph showed the man’s penis looked normal after surgery and he now has ‘consistent follow-up’ to make sure the cancer doesn’t return.

The paper was published in the medical journal Urology Case Reports.

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