A team of doctors at Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital has identified a chemotherapy regimen that was better tolerated in people with high-risk penile cancer.Published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the BACuP trial compared paclitaxel with 5-FU (fluorouracil), with both drugs given alongside a platinum drug.The study found that patients receiving paclitaxel had fewer serious side effects and treatment-related hospitalizations. They were also more likely to complete all four planned chemotherapy cycles.However, the trial was too small to determine whether paclitaxel reduced cancer recurrence or improved survival.What Did The Study Find?Also read: British-Nigerian Influencer Dies After Penis Enlargement Procedure In Thailand: What Are The Risks?The trial included 49 men under 70 who had undergone surgery for penile cancer that had spread to the lymph nodes and had at least one feature linked to a high risk of recurrence.They were randomly assigned to receive either 5-FU plus a platinum drug or paclitaxel plus a platinum drug. Both groups were scheduled to receive four cycles, three weeks apart.Serious treatment-related side effects occurred in 77.3 per cent of patients receiving 5-FU and platinum, compared with 40.9 per cent of those receiving paclitaxel and platinum.Paclitaxel was also easier to administer. 5-FU is usually delivered continuously through a vein over several days, sometimes using a pump, while paclitaxel can generally be given as an intravenous infusion in a day-care or outpatient setting.Why Does The Study Matter?Dr. Sandeep Nayak, Chairman of Oncology, MACS-Renova Oncology Institute, KIMS Hospital, Bengaluru, said that penile cancer carries a significant disease burden in India, yet for decades our adjuvant treatment decisions for high-risk, node-positive disease relied largely on retrospective observational data.He noted that the goal after definitive surgical resection and lymphadenectomy is to prevent systemic recurrence. However, traditional 5-FU-based chemotherapy regimens have historically been notoriously difficult for patients to tolerate, leading to severe toxicities, frequent hospital admissions, and premature treatment dropouts.“This trial provides evidence showing that the Paclitaxel-Platinum combination offers a far safer, outpatient-friendly regimen with drastically lower serious toxicities and an impressive completion rate of 83% (compared to 48% with 5-FU). Better patient compliance directly impacts real-world disease control,” said Dr. Nayak, who was not part of the study."Combined with early clinical presentation and timely surgical interventions, safer adjuvant options like this will meaningfully improve patient compliance and quality of life," he added while stressing the need for larger research. What Is Penile Cancer?Penile cancer is rare and is most common in men over 50. It is an uncommon malignancy in India, accounting for less than 1% of all male cancers.Common symptoms include:A growth, lump or sore that does not heal within four weeksBleeding from the penis or under the foreskinA rash or change in skin colorA smelly dischargeDifficulty pulling back the foreskinThe disease may be more treatable when found early. Treatment depends on the size and location of the cancer and whether it has spread, and may include surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy.