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Local Treatments (Other Than Surgery) for Penile Cancer
Some very early-stage, low-grade penile cancers, especially carcinoma in situ (CIS, where the cancer is only in the top layers of the skin), can be treated with techniques other than surgery. These treatments, along with some less invasive forms of surgery, may be called penile sparing or organ-preserving techniques because they leave most of the penis intact.
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Options other than surgery to treat some very early-stage penile cancers might include:
- Topical treatments (medicines put right on the skin of the penis)
- Laser ablation
- Radiation therapy
These treatments tend to cause less damage to the penis. But they can only treat small cancers that haven't spread deeply into the penis or to other parts of the body.
Careful follow-up is needed after any of these treatments to make sure the area is healing well and to watch for signs that the cancer has come back.
Topical treatments
For topical treatments, a drug is put right on the skin to destroy the cancer cells. These drugs don’t penetrate deeply beyond the skin. They are best used for very early-stage, noninvasive penile cancers, including carcinoma in situ (CIS), also known as penile intraepithelial neoplasia (PeIN).
Topical chemotherapy means that a cancer-killing drug is put right on the skin instead of taken as a pill or injected into a vein.
The drug used most often to treat penile cancer this way is 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). It's a cream that's put on at home, typically twice a day for several weeks.
Possible side effects
Treatment with 5-FU cream often makes the treated skin red and very sensitive for a few weeks. Other topical medicines or creams can help relieve this.
Imiquimod is a drug that causes the immune system to react to the cancer and destroy it. It's put on the skin, typically at least a few times a week for many weeks, but schedules can vary.
Possible side effects
This drug can irritate the skin, which might be severe in some people. This can be helped with other medicines if needed. Imiquimod can also cause flu-like symptoms in some people, but this isn't common.
For this treatment, a drug is applied to the skin as a gel or liquid. The drug collects in the tumor cells over several hours, where it is converted to a different chemical that makes the cells very sensitive to certain types of light. A special light source is then focused on the tumor, which kills the cells.
PDT is not widely used for penile cancer, but it may be an option in some cases.
See Photodynamic Therapy for more on how this treatment works.
Laser ablation
In this approach, the doctor uses a beam of laser light to destroy (ablate) cancer cells.
Laser ablation can be useful for carcinoma in situ (CIS) and possibly for some very thin penile cancers, especially in men who refuse surgery. Laser treatment can be repeated if the cancer comes back.
This treatment leaves a shallow wound that heals over a few months.
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- References
Developed by the American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
Heinlen JE, Ramadan MO, Stratton K, Culkin DJ. Chapter 82: Cancer of the Penis. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Doroshow JH, Kastan MB, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa. Elsevier: 2020.
National Cancer Institute. Penile Cancer Treatment (PDQ?)–Patient Version. 2025. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/penile/patient/penile-treatment-pdq on July 10, 2025.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Penile Cancer. Version 2.2025. Accessed at www.nccn.org on July 10, 2025.
Pettaway CA, Pagliaro LC. Carcinoma of the penis: Surgical and medical treatment. UpToDate. 2025. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/carcinoma-of-the-penis-surgical-and-medical-treatment on July 10, 2025.
Last Revised: September 8, 2025
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