title: [The foreskin and squamous-cell carcinoma of the penis].
abstract: The incidence of penile cancer is low in men who have been circumcised at infancy. It is unknown whether a causative relationship exists between circumcision and the substantially reduced incidence of penile cancer. A normal foreskin has no known aetiological role in the development of penile cancer. A narrow, non-retractable foreskin predisposes the patient to infection and contributes to the development of penile cancer, together with the known risk factors of smoking and human papillomavirus infection. Circumcision represents a complex of social and behavioural factors. Analyses have not taken all of these factors into consideration. It is unlikely that circumcision itself protects against the development of penile cancer.
authors.affiliation: Nederlands Kanker Instituut-Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Ziekenhuis, afd. Urologie, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam. s.horenblas@nki.nl
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Horenblas
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Kroon
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D002944:Circumcision, Male; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D010412:Penile Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012307:Risk Factors