Doctors perform first US penis transplant

A 64-year-old man who lost most of his penis to cancer is recovering well after undergoing the United States' first penis transplant operation, doctors said yesterday.

The 15-hour surgery took place earlier this month at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and is the third such operation known in the world.

"The patient, Thomas Manning, 64, of Halifax, Massachusetts, continues to recover well, with blood flow established to the donor organ and no signs of bleeding, rejection or infection," the hospital said in a statement.

"While the patient is still early in the post-surgical healing process, his physicians say they are cautiously optimistic he will regain function that he lost in 2012" after a penile cancer diagnosis led to most of his penis being amputated.

The penis came from a dead donor who matched Manning's blood type and skin tone. Manning expressed his gratitude to the donor and his family, which has asked to remain anonymous, and said he wanted to go public with his story to eliminate the shame and stigma associated with the loss of a penis.