Forty-four patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the penis stage T1-T2, N0 were either treated surgically (n = 19) or with a combination of irradiation and bleomycin (n = 25). The overall actuarial survival rate was 80% at 3 years, 77% at 5 years and 60% at 10 years. The result of irradiation treatment combined with bleomycin was in stage N0 equivalent to that of surgical therapy. The non-surgical treatment had the advantage of preserved sexual ability.