Objective To understand the experience of illness in patients with penile cancer and to provide reference for formulating targeted nursing interventions. Methods Using the social-ecological model as theoretical framework, 11 patients with penile cancer were purposively selected and received face-to-face semi-structured interviews.Data were analyzed via content analysis to identify the themes. Results Three major themes and ten sub-themes were determined：experience of illness at the microsystem level inclu-ded comfort change, unmet needs, persistent negative emotions, and delay in seeking treatment; experience of illness at the mesosystem level included heavy financial burden, lack of male gender role, and family tention; and experience of illness at the mac-rosystem level included lack of information support, experience of treatment seeking and to-be-improved treatment, and social pressure. Conclusion There are many problems in the social-ecological systems of patients with penile cancer.Medical staffs should pay attention to patients′changes in physical and mental health caused by the disease, take effective measures to meet their physical and mental health needs, and maintain the stability of their social-ecological systems.