Having penile cancer surgery

You will need

• Blood tests to check your general health, liver and kidney functions
• A chest X-ray to check that your lungs are healthy
• An ECG to check that your heart is healthy
• To learn breathing and leg exercises
• A detailed explanation of what to expect

If you had some of these tests when your cancer was first diagnosed, you may not have to repeat them. You may also have

• Breathing tests (called lung function tests)
• An ECG while you are exercising

These tests are done to make sure you are fit enough to make a good recovery from your surgery.

When you go into hospital for your operation, your surgeon, anaesthetist, physiotherapist and specialist nurse will all come and talk to you. Your surgeon will explain what is going to happen during the surgery and what to expect when you come round from the anaesthetic.

Ask as many questions as you need to. It may help to make a list of questions before you go into hospital for your operation. There are some suggestions for questions at the end of this section.

If you have had a circumcision, you will be able to get up as soon as you feel ready. You will be able to eat and drink straight away.

If you have had more extensive surgery, such as a glansectomy or penectomy operation, you are likely to have several different tubes in place afterwards. These might include

• A drip (or intravenous infusion) into your arm to give you fluids until you are drinking enough
• A fine tube, called a wound drain, into the area operated on, to drain away any fluid that collects. This helps the wound to heal
• A tube into your bladder (catheter) to drain urine

You are usually able to eat and drink again as soon as you feel like it. If you have had a skin graft you will need to be on bed rest for around 2 days after the operation. If not, your nurses will encourage you to get up and about as soon as possible. If you are on bed rest, a physiotherapist will teach you breathing and leg exercises. Breathing exercises will help stop you getting a chest infection. Leg exercises will help stop clots from forming in your legs. Both these complications of surgery can happen because you are not moving around as much as you would normally. You can help yourself to get better by doing these exercises regularly after your operation. You should do them as often as you are told you need to.

Below is a short video showing breathing and circulation exercises after surgery. Click on the arrow to watch it. Please note: although this video shows a woman doing the exercises, they are the same for men.

View a transcript of the video showing breathing and circulation exercises after surgery (opens in new window)

You will almost certainly have some pain for the first few days after your operation. But there are many painkillers that can help. It is important that you tell the nurse or doctor as soon as possible if you have any pain. With your help, they will find the right type and dose of painkiller for you. Painkillers work best when you take them regularly, so please don't suffer in silence.

If you have had a glansectomy or penectomy you will have a dressing around your penis. If you have had your entire penis removed (total penectomy) you will have a dressing to the area where your penis was, and also where the surgeon has formed an opening between your anus and scrotum. Your nurse will change the dressings and clean the wounds as needed.

These days, most surgeons use stitches that dissolve away by themselves once your wound has healed. But if you have stitches or clips that have to be removed, they will be left in for around 5 to 7 days or more. The nurse on the ward might remove any stitches you have before you go home. Or a district nurse or a practice nurse at your doctor's surgery might take them out after you are home.

If the surgeon removes your lymph nodes you will have a dressing to the wound in your groin or abdomen. You’ll also have a tube (drain) to take away the fluid from this area. The wound drains are left in until they stop draining fluid. Generally this is about 7 to 14 days after your operation.

When you can go home depends on the type of operation you’ve had

• If you have had a circumcision you may be able to go home the same day or the next day
• For other operations to the penis you will need to stay in hospital longer

If you have had a tube into your bladder (catheter) your doctor will check that you can pass urine normally after taking it out, and before you go home. Before you go home your doctor or nurse will arrange a follow up outpatient appointment. 

If you live alone, or might have difficulty managing after your operation, let the nurses know when you first go into hospital so plans can be made to help you when you go home.