A British man was reassured by doctors that the foul “death smell” coming from his genitals was just an infection — but it later emerged he had penile cancer and ultimately had ‘half’ of his penis amputated. Now a father, he has shared advice for others who notice worrying changes.
Steven Hamill was 26 when he booked a medical appointment after the head of his penis became severely swollen, growing to about four times its normal size.
He was prescribed steroid cream after clinicians believed the issue was balanitis. But around a month later, his condition worsened and his penis began to give off an overpowering odour.
“I would describe this smell as death. The smell followed me round and it was awful and other people could smell it,” he lamented.
Hamill said he was told he was too young to have cancer. However, the combination of the smell, the swelling, and the intense pain were signs of penile cancer.
Macmillan Cancer Support says roughly 700 people in Britain are diagnosed with penile cancer each year.
The NHS lists other common symptoms such as unexplained changes in skin colour, thickened skin, bleeding, and lumps in the groin.
Hamill only found out what was happening after his brother rushed him to A&E, where he had been discovered unconscious in his car and surrounded by blood.
He was later moved to a specialist unit at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester, where he was diagnosed with penile cancer in April 2019.
Treatment included a circumcision and the removal of ‘half’ of his penis. Three months later, he was given the all-clear.
After surgery, he said his penis length changed from eight inches to four.
“I was really lucky that I was well endowed because if I was average I would have gone down to about one or two inches and that functionality isn’t really there anymore,” he joked.
“It’s never been an issue with anyone I’ve dated but it’s more me adapting and learning new things.
“It’s more me adapting as I’ve got a whole new tool to figure out how to function because it’s completely different.”
Now 33, Hamill is seven years on from his diagnosis and partial penectomy. He remains in remission and has since become a dad.
“I was told I would never have kids because the surgery happened on my urethra, and I now have a four-year-old boy,” whom he welcomed in 2022.
“Everything is still functional and I can still have kids.”
He added that intimacy can still be mentally challenging at times, largely due to how self-aware he feels about the change.
“[I] think ‘she’s going to think it [my penis] looks really weird’. I get self conscious all the time,” he confessed.
Saying it took him ‘years’ to come to terms with his penis size after surgery, Hamill urged anyone who suspects something is wrong not to put off seeking help.
“The best advice I could give would be if anything doesn’t feel right, don’t be embarrassed and see if it goes away. Reach out, even if it’s to me online, and I could guide you, but 100% reach out and don’t leave it too late.”