Penile Cancer and Cervical Cancer are just what they sound like, cancer of the penis and cervix respectively. Circumcision has long been used to prevent cancer, yet there is almost zero evidence to support it. The rate of penile cancer in the United States is much higher than in Europe, which is mostly intact. For various years between 1966 and 1972, the annual rate of new cases of penile cancer was 0.8 for the United States (which circumcises), and 0.5 for Finland, 0.9 for Denmark and 1.1 for both Norway and Sweden (all of which do not). None of these differences are statistically significant. Further, within the same time frame, both France and the United States had the same rate, 0.3, of deaths due to penile cancer. Many 3rd world countries that have a large percentage of their population circumcised have a huge risk of developing penile cancer.(2)(3) Conclusion: Cleanliness not Circumcision prevents penile cancer.
The notion that circumcision in any way prevents cancer has been completely dismissed. Circumcision was used to prevent cancer because smegma was believed to be a carcinogen. (4) This claim was supported by a very old study that took the circumcision status of males as well as their penile cancer status. A much greater percentage of intact males had penile cancer. Eureka! Circumcision cures cancer! Well actually it turns out that most of the elderly were intact at the time and penile cancer is an old man's disease. When a greater percentage of circumcised males reached old age they got penile cancer in similar numbers as the previous generation. Anyway, back to smegma. There have only ever been two studies regarding smegma and both have found it to be completely harmless. This is very fortunate for women as they produce several times the amount that men do.
Up until recently the AAP claimed that circumcision did prevent penile and cervical cancer. The American Cancer Society reprimanded them with a letter. This isn't some no name organization filing a complaint. This is the American Cancer Society.
Dear Dr. Rappo:
As representatives of the American Cancer Society, we would like to discourage the American Academy of Pediatrics from promoting routine circumcision as a preventive measure for penile or cervical cancer. The American Cancer Society does not consider routine circumcision to be a valid or effective measure to prevent such cancers.
Research suggesting a pattern in the circumcision status of partners of women with cervical cancer is methodologically flawed, outdated, and has not been taken seriously in the medical community for decades.
Likewise, research claiming a relationship between circumcision and penile cancer is inconclusive. Penile cancer is an extremely rare condition, affecting one in 200,000 men in the United States. Penile cancer rates in countries which do not practice circumcision are lower than those found in the United States. Fatalities caused by circumcision accidents may approximate the mortality rate from penile cancer.
Portraying routine circumcision as an effective means of prevention distracts the public from the task of avoiding the behaviors proven to contribute to penile and cervical cancer: especially cigarette smoking, and unprotected sexual relations with multiple partners. Perpetuating the mistaken belief that circumcision prevents cancer is inappropriate.
Sincerely,
(signed)
Hugh Shingleton, M.D.
National Vice President Detection & Treatment
The ACS reaffirmed their position in 2006 stating that penile cancer is a very rare disease and circumcision is not a valid procedure to prevent it.(1) Simply put, circumcision to prevent cancer is completely false and a myth.
Another interesting thing about the cancer argument is that men are much more likely to develop breast cancer than penile cancer. If the goal was to prevent cancer, the removal of the breasts is a much more medically sound procedure. However, this procedure was not widespread at the time, circumcision was. Conclusion: The solution circumcision was invented before there was a problem for it to treat.
(1) 2006 Penile Cancer
(2) Hyman AB; Brownstein MH. Tyson's "Glands," Archives of Dermatology, vol. 99, no. 1 (January 1969): pp. 31-37.
(3) http://www.cirp.org/library/disease/cancer/
(4) Wolbarst A. Circumcision and Penile Cancer. The Lancet, vol. 1 no. 5655 (January 16, 1932): pp. 150-153.
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