23.03.2026 11:20
A 38-year-old patient living in Diyarbakır experienced limb loss due to a mass that developed on his penis as a result of advanced-stage colon cancer treatment. According to the literature, there have been 60 cases worldwide resulting in limb loss at this stage of the disease, with 10 of them occurring in Turkey. Urology Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Muhammet Fatih Kılınç stated, "It is now being seen at a younger age. Early diagnosis is important for us."
A 38-year-old patient living in Diyarbakır was diagnosed with colon cancer 3 years ago. Since the patient had advanced-stage cancer, he started chemotherapy. After undergoing colon surgery, the patient continued with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. During the treatment process, a mass was detected on the patient's penis, and treatments continued in this direction. The patient, who could not sleep for 2 hours continuously for 10 months, had the decision made to remove the penis after consultations with doctors. In the medical literature, there have been 60 recorded cases worldwide so far, 10 of which were in Turkey, with the most recent occurring in Diyarbakır.
Urology Specialist Assoc. Dr. Muhammet Fatih Kılınç stated that this case is the 60th reported case in the literature, which is very rare worldwide. Assoc. Dr. Kılınç noted that they encountered one of these cases in their hospital, where a 38-year-old male patient presented with pain in the penis and a palpable mass.
"PAIN RELIEVERS WERE NOT HELPING"
Assoc. Dr. Kılınç noted that when they examined the patient, colon cancer was detected about 3 years ago, stating, "Since this patient is a bit advanced, he first receives chemotherapy. Then, the patient undergoes colon surgery. After the surgery, the patient continues with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, in the later stages, a palpable mass is detected on the patient's penis. Subsequently, the chemotherapy regimens the patient received were aimed at eliminating this mass. Despite this, the mass continues to grow," he said.
Assoc. Dr. Kılınç continued, "The patient starts to experience pain in the penis, and eventually, he reaches a point where he cannot urinate." He further explained:
"Initially, we had a strategy to preserve the organ for this patient's treatment. However, even after changing the chemotherapy, no solution was found. The patient has been experiencing severe pain for about 10 months and starts to be unable to urinate. Although a catheter is placed at certain intervals, the mass continues to grow. When the patient came to us, his psychology was disturbed. He had not been able to sleep lying down for 10 months. He expressed that he could not sleep continuously for 2 hours. No matter how many pain relievers he took, his pain persisted. His family life was disrupted, his work life was affected, and he could not take care of his children."
"ALTHOUGH THE PATIENT EXPERIENCED LOSS OF LIMB, HIS QUALITY OF LIFE INCREASED"
Assoc. Dr. Kılınç reported that they determined that all the treatments they had performed were not effective, stating, "We made a joint decision with the patient to proceed with the removal of the penis. So, despite the patient experiencing the loss of an organ, his quality of life has increased. 'Doctor, I can sleep now, I can lie down, my psychology has improved,' he said. Despite the loss of a limb, his quality of life increased. What we want to emphasize here is the awareness of colon cancer. Colon cancer has started to be seen at younger ages. Early diagnosis is important for us. If there is no early diagnosis, we have seen where this disease can lead, what kind of results it can have, and that it can lead to organ loss and limb loss. What we want to emphasize is the awareness of colon cancer, that early treatment and early diagnosis are important for us, and we wanted to raise public awareness."
THERE ARE 60 PATIENTS WORLDWIDE, 10 IN TURKEY
Assoc. Dr. Kılınç mentioned that 10 of the cases are in Turkey, while the rest are worldwide. Approximately 50 of them have been reported in the world literature. Our eating habits, especially in our country, are excessive. Because we consume more meat, especially burnt and fried meat, and processed meat, colon cancer has started to be seen very frequently, especially in the Southeastern Anatolia Region. This shows that we need to pay attention to our eating habits and healthy eating habits. It is a situation that should be feared. It can lead to limb loss. We think it is important for public awareness. We have particularly stated that it is very common in the geography we live in. In this geography, if we have a family history and are over 40 years old, we must undergo colon cancer screening tests at least once a year. First, we need to consult our internal medicine and gastroenterology departments. Screening is very important, especially if we have a family history," he stated.