The Brazilian Urology Society (SBU) will launch a national anti-penile cancer campaign on Friday, reported local media on Wednesday.

Legendary football striker Arthur-Antunes Coimbra, who is more famous for his alias Zico, will be the campaign's spokesman.

Brazil has the third-highest incidence rate of penile cancer in the world, after India and Uganda, and the disease affects about two percent of Brazil's male population, according to DataSUS, a research firm for Brazil's public health system.

It also said that the cancer caused the emasculation of 908 Brazilian men in 2005 and at least 1,000 in 2006.

Of the 281 cases studied by the SBU, 85 percent were white men, 82 percent were over 45 years old and 45 percent were registered in northeastern Brazil.

The SBU said that 30 percent of the cases in Brazil were related to the human papilloma virus (HPV), the same factor attributed to the majority of the cervical cancer cases in women. The absence of protection during sexual intercourse and poor hygiene are considered favorable factors for the infection.

Source: Xinhua