Purpose: Penile cancer is a rare but highly treatable condition. Whilst over 80% survive for over five years, treatment can have a significant impact on quality of life. There has been little research conducted to date on men's experiences of treatment for penile cancer; The Patients Experiences of Penile Cancer study (PEPC) aimed to redress this shortfall by exploring men's experiences of surgical treatment for penile cancer.Method: Data were collected using two methods; an initial narrative oral history followed by a semistructured interview. Maximum variation sampling was used to acquire the widest possible range of experiences. Twenty-seven interviews were conducted with men with an average age of 63 years at diagnosis (range = 41 -82). The data were analysed using constant comparison analysis. Results:The physical impact of surgery was inter-connected with broader events in the lives of the men experiencing treatment. These experiences cover urinary function, sexual function and sexual relationships, healing and recovery, masculinity, mental well-being, coping and support. Conclusions:A key area for the development of care is to devise and evaluate procedures for ensuring that men are well-informed about the extent and potential consequences of their treatment. Men's experiences of penile cancer surgery will be informed by a complex web interlaced with their broader life making it difficult for health professionals to judge how surgery will impact on a men presenting to them. Further research is required to ascertain the most appropriate strategies for rehabilitation of men experiencing penile cancer surgery.

Men are a numerical minority group receiving a diagnosis of, and treatment for, depression. However, community surveys of men and of their mental health issues (e.g. suicide and alcoholism) have led some to suggest that many more men have depression than are currently seen in healthcare services. This article explores current approaches to men and depression, which draw on theories of sex differences, gender roles and hegemonic masculinity. The sex differences approach has the potential to provide diagnostic tools for (male) depression; gender role theory could be used to redesign health services so that they target individuals who have a masculine, problem-focused coping style; and hegemonic masculinity highlights how gender is enacted through depression and that men's depression may be visible in abusive, aggressive and violent practices. Depression in men is receiving growing recognition, and recent policy changes in the UK may mean that health services are obliged to incorporate services that meet the needs of men with depression.

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Aim: To explore how men with penile cancer construct humour in relation to their diagnosis and treatment.Background: Functionalist, relief and incongruity theories attempt to account for humour but there is a dearth of empirical evidence in nursing care. This is particularly so in relation to a condition like penile cancer where some nurses think that humour in their interactions with patients would be inappropriate.Design: The study employed a participative, mixed-qualitative-methods design.Method: Focus groups and patient-conducted interviews were both used during a one-day