Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 28, 2026
Microscopic Cyst Resection for the Treatment of Patients Diagnosed with Epididymal Cyst
Published on: March 31, 2023
Epidermoid cyst of the coronal sulcus mimicking penile cancer: a case report
Luigi Cormio1, Vito Mancini, Francesca Sanguedolce
1Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation, University of Foggia, Viale Luigi Pinto 1, 71121 Foggia, Italy. luigicormio@libero.it.
Introduction:
Epidermoid cysts represent common benign tumors occurring anywhere in the body but very rarely in the penis. Only a few cases of penile localization have been reported in the literature so far, most of them being congenital and/or idiopathic, usually presenting in children as slow-growing, solitary, well-delimited cystic lesions. Here, we describe the case of a patient with a penile epidermoid cyst presenting as an ulcerated lesion of the coronal sulcus, thus mimicking penile cancer.
Case Presentation:
A 36-year-old Caucasian man presented with a three-month history of a rapidly growing asymptomatic ulcerated lesion in the ventral portion of the penile coronal sulcus. At surgical exploration, the area under the ulcerated lesion had a well-demarcated cystic shape; following its wide excision, an intraoperative histological examination revealed an epidermoid cyst. No recurrence had occurred at nine years of follow-up.
Conclusions:
Rare benign tumors of the penis, like the described epidermoid cyst, may mimic cancer. Nevertheless, penile ulcerated lesions should always be surgically explored as wide excision and intraoperative histological examination remain the only means of obtaining a precise disease definition and, consequently, administering the appropriate treatment.
