OK, you may be thinking that even if very few uncircumcised boys experience a foreskin-related disability when young, but what about the other supposed health benefits of circumcision emphasised by the AAP and other advocates, such as reduced risk of sexually transmitted infections as an adult. We have sought to put that canard to rest as a piece of medical folklore on several occasions, but it persists. To show how wrong it is, here are comparative statistics for HIV, gonorrhoea and syphilis in (uncircumcised) Denmark compared with the (circumcised) United States:

HIV-AIDS

Denmark: 0.1-0.2% (2014, adults 15-49)

http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/denmark

United States: 0.4-0.9% (2012)

http://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/unitedstatesofamerica/

Gonorrhoea

Denmark: 12.1 per 100,000 (2012)

http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/sexually-transmited-infections-HIV-AIDS-blood-borne-annual-epi-report-2014.pdf

United States: 110.7 per 100,000 (2014)

http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats14/std-trends-508.pdf

Syphilis

Denmark: 6.1 per 100,000 (2012)

http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/sexually-transmited-infections-HIV-AIDS-blood-borne-annual-epi-report-2014.pdf

United States: 6.3 per 100,000 (2014)

http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats14/std-trends-508.pdf

So the (circumcised) United States has 4 times the level of HIV, and 10 times the level of gonorrhoea as (uncircumcised) Denmark. This suggests that the foreskin is protective against, and circumcision increases the risk of, urinary tract infections such as urethritis and gonorrhoea, at least in adulthood – which is what Jonathan Hutchinson found in 1855, and Ferris et al in 2010.

Male breast cancer more common than cancer of the penis

Nor is prevention of cancer of the penis a valid reason for circumcision. Since the days of Jonathan Hutchinson, circumcision advocates have made much of the value of circumcision in preventing cancer of the penis (Morris et al, 2011). Whether or not it does so is less significant than the fact that penile cancer is a rare disease of older men – so rare that accurate statistics on incidence are difficult to find, and so rare that it is even less common than male breast cancer. The American Cancer Society (2016) estimates that 2600 cases of male breast cancer will be diagnosed in 2016 and that 440 men will die of it. The figures for cancer of the penis are 2030 cases and 340 deaths. If prophylactic removal of infant male breasts is not recommended as a breast cancer preventive, there is certainly no need for prophylactic removal of the foreskin as a penile cancer preventive.

What are the key statistics about breast cancer in men? The American Cancer Society estimates for breast cancer in men in the United States for 2016 are:

  • About 2,600 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed.
  • About 440 men will die from breast cancer.

 

What are the key statistics about penile cancer? The American Cancer Society estimates for penile cancer in the United States for 2016 are:

  • About 2,030 new cases of penile cancer will be diagnosed.
  • About 340 men will die from penile cancer.