Dear Doctor Rockoff,
For the sake of brevity:
1. 61 y/o male
2. Non-smoker; enjoy decent health with no major illnesses or problems so far; in better than average shape.
3. Discovered pigment changes on penis about two months ago.
No pain or discomfort associated with the condition, other than some understandable anxiety. I do realize that vitiligo is considered benign and harmless in a health sense.
4. Went to primary physician who concurred with my own assessment that I had Vitiligo. He sent to a Dermo. Dermo called it Vitiligo as well and prescribed Protopic. They both deemed it idiopathic.
5. My concerns center around the following:
a. After extensive looking into this condition, I've discovered that it usually presents between ages 20-40. Further, that it is remarkable when it appears suddenly in a person my age, and in particular arising on the penis is an even rarer occurrence.
b. I've seen some literature that states in light of the above, the exclusion of a potential melanoma is advisable. Both my primary and dermo, when asked about this, had little response other than somewhat terse remarks. The dermo even asked me if was seeing a shrink. (not a nice thing to say...)
6. What is the general procedure one should follow when confronted with this information? Am I supposed to just let this be and ignore what I've read? Are there any statistics with regard to the sudden onset of penile vitiligo in a 61 year old man? How many cases have been attributed to a response to a malignancy?
What do I do, Doctor Rockoff? Thanks very much.
RCF