Prostate cancer is cancer of the prostate gland – a gland which is roughly the size of a walnut and is found at the base of the bladder. The prostate is a male-only gland and it surrounds the first part of the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis. The prostate gets larger as men age and this is called benign prostate enlargement.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime[1]. Each year, on average, more than 52,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer. That is 144 men every day. What’s more, every 45 minutes one man dies from prostate cancer. This equates to more than 12,000 men every year[1]. Early detection is key, so knowing the warning signs is vital. Read more about what prostate cancer is in this blog.
What are the Early Signs of Prostate Cancer?
Early or localised prostate cancer does not usually cause any symptoms. So, it’s also important to know about your risk or likelihood of getting prostate cancer. Knowing your risk factors and talking about them to a healthcare professional can help you make more informed lifestyle and healthcare choices.
Prostate cancer signs may only start once the prostate is large enough to affect the urethra. This is the tube that takes urine from the bladder and out of the body via the penis. As a slow-growing type of cancer, prostate cancer can exist in the prostate for long periods of time (years) before it grows enough to affect function or press on surrounding structures, causing discomfort.
Even when early stage prostate cancer does grow, the prostate gland isn’t directly involved in your vital life processes. This can make symptoms vague and less obvious than cancers affecting your lungs or heart, for example. Some symptoms might get dismissed as natural age-related changes or be attributed to other underlying causes.
The 5 Warning Signs of Prostate Cancer
Signs of prostate cancer include:
1. Frequent urination, especially during the night
2. Pain and/or a "burning sensation" when urinating or ejaculating
3. Difficulty stopping or starting urination
4. Sudden erectile dysfunction (ED)
5. Blood in urine or semen
Other Potential Signs of Prostate Cancer
These five warning signs are not the only symptoms of prostate cancer. As prostate cancer advances, it can start affecting surrounding structures of your pelvis. If prostate cancer metastasizes or spreads to distant areas of the body, more whole-body symptoms are possible.
Other indicators of prostate cancer can include:
- Discomfort or pain when sitting
- Back pain
- Testicular pain
- Loss of appetite
- Unexplained weight loss
- Changes in bowel or urinary habits
- Fatigue
- Swelling in the lower body
- Weakness or numbness in the legs or feet
In metastatic prostate cancer, you may notice unique symptoms related to different areas of the body now affected by cancer. If cancer has spread to your lungs, for example, you may experience coughing or breathlessness.
Other Conditions That Cause Similar Symptoms to Prostate Cancer
You should also be aware that these symptoms are not unique to prostate cancer. This means that you may have a less serious condition with the same symptoms.
These other conditions include:
- Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) - Commonly known as prostate enlargement, BPH can cause many of the same symptoms as prostate cancer, including pain while urinating, frequent urination, difficulty starting/stopping urination and bloody urine.
- Kidney Stones - Like prostate cancer, kidney stones can make it painful to urinate and lead to bloody urine.
- Prostatitis - When an infection or injury causes the prostate gland to become inflamed, which can cause painful and difficult urination.
- Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) - Although UTIs most frequently occur in women, they’re also very common in men. They can cause painful urination, as well as a strong urge to urinate despite not being able to produce much urine.
What are the Risk Factors for Prostate Cancer?
There are four main prostate cancer risk factors:
Age
The majority of cases diagnosed are men aged over 50, but this risk increases as men get older. It is important to note, that there have been rare cases of men in their 30s with prostate cancer.
Family History
Men who have a father or brother with prostate cancer have a higher risk of developing the disease. This risk increases if there are several relatives who also have received a prostate cancer diagnosis.
Race and Ethnicity
Black men are more likely to get prostate cancer than other men. We don’t know why, but it might be linked to genes. In the UK, about 1 in 4 Black men will get prostate cancer in their lifetime.*[2]
If you have mixed Black ethnicity, you are likely to be at higher risk of prostate cancer than a white man. But we don’t know your exact risk because we don’t have enough information on prostate cancer in men with mixed black ethnicity. And we don’t know whether it makes a difference if it’s your mother or father who is Black.
Weight
Being overweight may increase your risk of being diagnosed with prostate cancer that’s aggressive (more likely to spread) or advanced (cancer that has spread outside the prostate). Eating healthily and keeping active can help you stay a healthy weight.
When Should I See A Professional For Prostate Cancer Symptoms?
If you have any warning signs or risk factors of prostate cancer, you should speak to your GP or a healthcare professional. They can talk to you about your symptoms, your risk, and prostate cancer screening and diagnostic tests. You may be referred to a urological cancer specialist.
A urology specialist can help find out exactly what is causing any prostate cancer symptoms. All conditions that cause these symptoms, such as benign prostate conditions like BPH, are also better treated early.
Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment at Ramsay Health Care UK
At Ramsay Health Care UK, we provide prostate cancer screening and a full range of diagnostic testing without waiting.
If you have received a prostate cancer diagnosis, we understand that time and expert opinion are important. Our knowledgeable and experienced urological oncology team will be there to support you every step of the way. They will focus on a rapid evaluation and treatment plan for your prostate cancer.
Contact us to find out more about prostate cancer care with Ramsay Health Care UK.
Prostate Cancer FAQs
What are the signs that prostate cancer has spread?
When prostate cancer spreads beyond your prostate, it can move to nearby tissues, bones, lymph nodes, or other organs. This is called advanced or metastatic prostate cancer.
Signs and symptoms that prostate cancer has spread include:
- Bone pain: Is one of the most common symptoms, particularly hip, spine pain as the cancer spreads to your bones.
- Swelling in legs or feet: Can happen if cancer spreads to your lymph nodes in the pelvis, and restricts lymphatic fluid flow.
- Rapid, unexplained weight loss: Cancer cells can use more energy to grow and multiply and cancer-fighting proteins cytokines may interfere with your metabolism.
- Fatigue and weakness: Can be due to several things such as anaemia, bone metastasis, high-energy-needing cancer cells, inflammation, and cancer treatments.
What is often mistaken for prostate cancer?
There are several conditions that have similar symptoms to prostate cancer. Common conditions that are often mistaken for prostate cancer include:
- Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH): A non-cancerous prostate enlargement that can cause difficulty urinating or frequent urination, especially at night.
- Prostatitis: An inflammation or infection of the prostate that can cause pain, difficulty urinating, and discomfort.
- Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs): More common in women but do occur in men, and cause pain, frequent urination, and a burning sensation.
- Bladder stones: May lead to urinary issues, pain, and blood in your urine.
- Kidney stones: Can cause lower back or abdominal pain, urinary symptoms, and sometimes blood in your urine.
- Non-cancerous tumours or cysts: Can produce symptoms similar to cancer, but rarely.
Your GP or health professional will help determine the cause of your symptoms.
How do I check myself for prostate cancer?
It is difficult to check yourself for prostate cancer as your prostate is located internally, below your bladder and in front of your rectum. There are some early signs and a screening test to help you to self-monitor for prostate cancer:
- Urinary symptoms: Keep track of any noticeable changes in urination, such as frequent urination especially at night, difficulty starting or stopping urination, a weak or interrupted urine stream, pain or burning during urination, and blood in your urine or semen (rare).
- Unusual pain or discomfort: Monitor persistent pain or stiffness in your lower back, hips, or pelvis and pain during ejaculation.
- Prostate screening: Men aged 50 and above can request a PSA (prostate-specific antigen) test. Elevated PSA levels can be a sign of prostate cancer, although results can be unreliable.
If you have prostate cancer symptoms you should see your doctor. They can perform diagnostic tests including a digital rectal exam (DRE), MRI scan and biopsy to help identify if you have prostate cancer.
References
2 https://prostatecanceruk.org/prostate-information-and-support/risk-and-symptoms/are-you-at-risk#black-men (*This statistic was worked out using information about men recorded as ‘black African’, ‘black Caribbean’ and ‘black other’.)