Previous studies have suggested an association between penile cancer and cervical cancer but the results have been difficult to interpret. The current study includes 1064 cases of penile cancer reported to the National Swedish Cancer Registry between 1958 and 1980. One matched control for each living case was chosen randomly from the Swedish Population Registry, and for cases who had died, from the National Death Registry. Details about the men, their marriages and each wife or wives were obtained from the population registry in the parish in which the men lived or had died. The personal identification number and name of each wife or wives were matched against the cancer registry. All genital cancers, including 15 cervical cancers, were distributed equally among the wives of the cases and those of the controls. The expected rate of cancers among the population of wives of cases was also calculated and there was no difference between the observed and the expected number of women with cancer. The results did not show an association between penile cancer in men and cervical cancer in their sexual partners.