"It's something you never imagine will happen to you," says João, 63, who under went a partial amputation.

…

Between 2012 and 2022, there were 21,000 reported cases, according to Brazil’s Ministry of Health. This resulted in more than 4,000 deaths and, over the past decade, there have been more than 6,500 amputations - averaging two each day.

Maranhão, the poorest state in Brazil, was found to have the highest incidence rate globally at 6.1 per 100,000 men.

Symptoms of penile cancer often start with a sore on the penis that does not heal and a strong-smelling discharge. Some people get bleeding and colour changes of the penis, too.

When detected early, there is a high chance of recovery through treatments such as the surgical removal of the lesion, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

But if left untreated, partial or total amputation of the penis, and possibly other nearby genital organs such as the testicles, may become necessary.

  • Flying SquidMEnglish
    6•6 months ago

    I’ve had multiple nightmares where it just comes off in my hand. Not the whole thing, “just the tip.”

    I don’t think it’s a ‘loss of masculinity’ thing, it’s more about something dreadful very suddenly happening to my body that I can’t undo.

    • Ms. ArmoredThirteenEnglish
      6•6 months ago

      So I’m trans and find this pretty interesting. I used to have euphoria dreams where it would come off entirely. Now I’m newly post op and I’m having the occasional nightmares where it’s come back or worse, I start like disentigrating from inside and things fall out of me. Body horror dreams are wild

        • Ms. ArmoredThirteenEnglish
          5•6 months ago

          That’s actually one of the reasons I stopped smoking. I normally lucid dream almost every night and wanted that back so I mostly quit weed

        • Flying SquidMEnglish
          3•6 months ago

          Weed does not make my dreams go away.

    • @[email protected]English
      3•6 months ago

      Welp, I’m going to bed now. Would be interesting to have an amputation in a dream. Let’s see