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What are the symptoms of Prostate Cancer?

Prostate Cancer in its early and most curable stages unfortunately often has no symptoms. Most men with early stage cancer of the prostate do not have urinary symptoms and most men with urinary symptoms do not have cancer of the prostate. Symptoms of prostate cancer commonly include:

·      Inability to urinate, or difficulty starting or stopping the urine flow

·      The need to urinate frequently, especially at night

·      Weak or interrupted flow of urine

·      Pain or burning during urination

·      Difficulty having an erection

·      Blood in the urine or semen

·      Frequent pain in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs

 These symptoms can have other causes. For example, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) is a frequent cause in older men of the urinary problems listed above. This is a non-cancerous condition that causes enlargement of the prostate, squeezing the urethra.   For further information see:

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)

Many men ignore symptoms, hoping they will go away, but this is dangerous.  If prostate cancer is caught before it grows outside the gland itself, it is much more likely to be treated successfully. The disease is incurable when diagnosed at a late stage although it’s progress can be managed. Unfortunately a third of all prostate cancers are only diagnosed when it has already spread to other sites, including bone.  

It is possible to ask your GP for a simple blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) that gives an indication of the likelihood of the presence of prostate cancer. We recommend that all men over 50 should ask their GP for a test at regular intervals. Men with a father or brother who has had prostate cancer are at least twice as likely to contract the disease, and so should be tested from age 40. It is particularly important that they should be tested regularly.  Also black Afro-Caribbean men have a three-fold higher risk of getting prostate cancer than those of European origin.  So it is particularly important that these men should be tested regularly and preferably from the earlier age of 40.