Penile shortening

Case series of men who have undergone radical prostatectomy have shown shortening of penile length (by an average of 1–2 cm).[50-52] The functional consequence of the shortening is not well studied, but it is noticeable to some men.

In a registry of men with rising PSA after initial treatment of clinically localized prostate cancer, 19 of 510 men (3.7%) who had undergone radical prostatectomy complained of reduced penile size.[60] However, the data were based upon physician reporting of patients' complaints rather than direct patient questioning or before-and-after measurement of penile length. Also, the study sample was restricted to patients with known or suspected tumor recurrence, making generalization difficult.

Recovery of penile length to preoperative measurements within 1 to 2 years has been reported in some, but not all, case series in which men were followed longitudinally.[61]