What is Peyronie’s disease or Induratio Penis Plastica
Also
known as fibrosis of the penis,
Peyronie ‘s disease is a pathology of the connective tissue
of the penis, which induces a symptomatic penile curvature.
This disease can result in the development of fibrous plaques or
scar tissue, which can cause painful erections
and erectile dysfunction . Recent
studies show that penile curvature
can increase the risk of cancer :
in fact, compared to subjects with erectile
dysfunction, men with Peyronie’s disease have a 10%
increased risk of developing cancer. However,
it is difficult to know exactly how many people have
this condition: it is estimated at 1 to 23%
in men aged 40 to 70 . Penile curvature is a solvable problem
Peyronie ‘s disease has
been shown to be passed on in families and,
recently
, the genetics involved in
penile curvature are receiving
increasing attention. Here is some information retrieved from recent studies
conducted on the subject:
- Plaques
are not contagious . The plaques that
develop as part of Peyronie’s disease are neither
contagious nor cancerous, and
the exact causes are not yet known.
Autoimmune component . There may be an autoimmune component
in Peyronie’s disease. Some cases appear to
be linked to repeated penile trauma or microtrauma over time.- Link
with other tumors . It is interesting to note that
some of the genes, which have a relationship to
Peyronie’s disease, also appear to be involved in some types of cancers
in humans. For example, WNT2 ,
a gene that codes for proteins, appears to be associated with Peyronie’s disease and also in the
progression of some types of cancers.
Peyronie’s disease increases the risk of cancer
Among the research on the potential
mechanisms by which the curvature
of the penis can influence the growth and development of tumors , that carried out by researchers at Baylor College in Houston ,
by Dr. Alexander Pastuszak , stands out. . The
published study, presented at
the American Society for
Reproductive Medicine annual meeting on October 31, 2017, found
that:
- The incidence
of tumors in people with Peyronie’s disease was
compared with subjects without the condition and subjects with
erectile dysfunction were used as a
secondary control. The period under review was from 2007 to 2014. In
total, there were 48,423 men with
Peyronie’s disease , 1,177,428 with
erectile dysfunction and 484,230 controls, with an average age of
49.8 years. The subjects were observed for an average of 4 years. - Compared
to people with erectile dysfunction, men with Peyronie
‘s disease have a 10%
higher risk of developing cancer .
When this was examined, men with
Peyronie’s disease had a 43% higher risk of stomach cancer,
a 19% increased risk of melanoma, and a 39% increased
risk of testicular cancer. - Exploring
these findings, the same team studied the
genomes of a father and son with Peyronie’s disease .
The father and son had a number of genes that predispose them
to both genitourinary and urological cancers, and
testicular cancer in this group, as well as gastric cancers. As
this is the first time such a connection has been drawn,
more studies will be needed to consolidate these findings.
Although the exact pattern of interaction between Peyronie’s disease and tumors is not yet known , there should be caution on the part of physicians treating people with Peyronie’s disease. In fact, patients should be offered further follow-up, after diagnosis, in order to be able to treat Peyronie’s disease.
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