A man who was diagnosed with a rare form of penile cancer before having it completely amputated has urged other men to look out for the warning signs, after the condition left him in “mental torture”.
During Thursday’s episode of ITV’s This Morning, Craig Mycock, from Stockport, spoke about his “hellish” experience.
He told presenters Rylan Clark-Neal and Josie Gibson that he had dared to appear on national television in the hope that he could encourage other men to look out for the warning signs of the disease.
Every year, 700 men are diagnosed with penile cancer in the UK.
Craig had no idea he had cancer in 2018 when he went to the doctor for an unrelated procedure to check his bladder.
During Thursday’s episode of ITV’s This Morning, Craig Mycock (pictured), from Stockport, spoke about his “hellish” experience.
During the procedure, the nurse noticed an unusual freckle on the tip of his penis that worried her so much that she had to call a doctor for a second opinion.
Craig, a bus driver, was horrified when doctors told him he was suffering from an aggressive form of cancer and would need a complete amputation immediately.
He had no idea the mark on his penis was anything to worry about. “It didn’t itch or hurt, I just thought it was something that was there, so up until then I had ignored it,” he explained.
Craig was sent to Manchester’s Christie Hospital, which is known for treating cancer. He remembers being very scared when he found out he was being sent there.
“When you hear Christie’s, your heart sinks,” she shared, recalling other family members’ experiences with cancer at the same hospital.
Craig then had a biopsy and two weeks later was told it was an aggressive, fast-growing cancer and part of his penis would have to be removed.
At the time, Craig said he was “concerned, but not too worried. I thought it would be OK to get on with my life.”
When he arrived at Christie’s Hospital for the operation, he was told the cancer had spread. After further tests, he was told the cancer had accelerated and he would need an operation to remove his penis completely.
Craig appeared on the show alongside his wife, Colette, who he credits with helping him survive the experience. The couple have been together for 33 years.
Because of the lockdown, he had to attend these appointments alone. “I couldn’t take anyone with me, which affected me a lot, but I had to bear it and smile,” he said.
When Rylan asked Craig how it felt to know he would lose his penis, he described the experience as “hell.” “You lose all your confidence, your masculinity, your identity really,” he explained.
He went on to say that he would never have recovered mentally if it weren’t for his partner of 33 years, Colette Daniels, and his family.
Craig then spoke about the extremely challenging emotions his diagnosis brought on in him that led him to attempt to take his own life.
Sharing her side of the story, Colette said: ‘The mental health aspect was the hardest for me because watching Craig go from being a man and a joker to someone who would sit in a chair and not speak for days and never come out.
“If I went outside and saw someone, I would run away. It hurt me even more to see him wither away into a shell of nothing. To me, Craig is the bravest man on this earth,” she said.
Colette said she was initially surprised that Craig wanted to share his experience, but was proud that her partner shared it to help others.
Although the amputation was successful, Craig said he still experiences a lot of pain at the surgical site and finds the agony “unbearable” at times.
Amid the physical suffering, Craig said the experience was “mental torture.”
“It took me as far as I could go and at one point I broke down and did the stupid thing of trying to take my life, but that’s part of my story and I’ve come out on top,” he shared. “Penile cancer exists and not many people know about it,” he said.
Craig (pictured on This Morning) had no idea he had cancer in 2018 when he went to the doctor for an unrelated procedure to check his bladder.
Dr Nighat appeared on the show to give her advice on how men can check themselves for early signs of penile cancer.
He noted that, fortunately, penile cancer is rare, affecting only 700 men a year, which is less than one percent of new cancer cases. He noted that prostate cancer, which is much more common, still faces “a lot of stigma and taboo.”
She said: ‘As a GP, I get patients who come in after all my treatment with the after-effects and it’s the mental toll that takes because you can feel very, very alone.’
Dr Nighat acknowledged Craig’s difficult diagnosis that came during lockdown, when he had to cope with the news of his cancer while alone.
She encouraged men to look out for a number of warning signs to get checked, saying men should look out for: “Any skin changes, we say persistent changes, meaning for more than four weeks, any irritation, any rash. A discharge is also not normal and no blood.
“It’s very important to go a little further than the genitals and look at the groin area because lumps can appear in the groin. Just like we would say for the chest, you have to look under the armpit and the neck, and under the groin.”
Dr Nighat also encouraged men to be on the lookout for warning signs such as unintentional weight loss, gut symptoms, feeling very tired, bone pain – these are really ominous symptoms.
Faced with such symptoms, Dr Nighat urged people to “come and see us.”
Penile cancer is more likely to be diagnosed in men over 50, although he urged people to make sure they continue to get checked anyway. Smokers also have a higher chance of developing cancer.
“The most important thing is to be aware of this and, please, do not be ashamed to come and have that conversation with a doctor,” he concluded.
For help and support, contact the Samaritans on 116 123 or visit samaritans.org