For men who have prostate cancer, signs and symptoms may not surface until the disease is advanced. Although there are techniques available to screen men for prostate cancer at an earlier stage, the evidence as to whether this provides a mortality benefit is still inconclusive, despite several large long-term studies.
Due to the location of the prostate glands, prostate cancer warning signs include various urinary and sexually-related symptoms; however, prostate cancer is sometimes identified by symptoms once the tumour has already spread.
Location of Prostate Glands and Relationship to Prostate Cancer Symptoms
The prostate gland is located behind the rectum and below the bladder. This gland surrounds the urethra, which is the thin tube that carries blood from the bladder to the outside of the body. The main function of the prostate gland is to help produce semen, which is also transported from the body during ejaculation via the urethra in men.
When the prostate gland is enlarged by the presence of prostate cancer, it impinges on the bodily functions in that region. As such, the main prostate cancer symptoms and warning signs affect urinating and sexual functions.
Urinary Prostate Cancer Symptoms and Warning Signs
The most common urinary symptoms of prostate cancer include the following:
- the sudden urge to urinate
- frequent urination
- difficultly beginning to urinate
- waking up multiple times in the night in order to urinate
- discomfort, such as pain or a burning sensation, when urinating
Less common urinary symptoms include the following:
- the presence of blood in the urine
Prostate Cancer Warning Signs of a Sexual Nature
There are sexually-related prostate cancer symptoms that men who have prostate cancer may also experience as warning signs for this disease. These include:
- painful ejaculation
- reduced ability to get an erection (impotence)
- decreased desire for sex (libido)
- the presence of blood in the semen
Prostate Cancer Symptoms for Metastatic Disease
Symptoms for prostate cancer also include those which occur once the disease has spread to other parts of the body. This is known a metastatic prostate cancer. One of the common places for the cancer to spread to is the bone. As such, prostate cancer symptoms can also include the following:
- discomfort in the pelvic area
- bone pain due to the presence of metastasis
Do the Presence of Prostate Cancer Symptoms Mean a Man has Cancer?
Some of the above urological prostate cancer symptoms are also associated with other non-cancerous conditions of the prostate, such as benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH). BPH is an enlargement of the prostate gland, which is more common in older men.
If a man experiences any such problems, it is advised that they see their doctor in order to determine whether they should undergo prostate cancer screening tests, such as the PSA test and DRE, in order to help determine if they are suffering from prostate cancer.
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Provenge Vaccine - the Latest Prostate Cancer Treatment Option
Sources:
NCI 2008, ‘What you need to know about prostate cancer; Symptoms’, Updated 20 November 2008, Accessed 18 May 2010
NCI 2008, ‘What you need to know about prostate cancer; The Prostate’, Updated 20 November 2008, Accessed 18 May 2010
USANZ 2010, ‘The Prostate and Prostate Cancer’, Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand
Christine Redmond - My interest in science and healthcare has seen me working in the laboratory with tiny cells and DNA to helping set up a cancer clinical ...
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