Prostate Cancer
What are the symptoms?
Men with early prostate cancer are unlikely to have any symptoms as these
only occur when the cancer is large enough to put pressure on the urethra. Men over the age of 50 often have enlargement of the prostate due to a non-cancerous condition known as benign prostatic
hyperplasia (BPH) or hypertrophy.
The symptoms of both benign enlargement of the prostate gland (BPH) and malignant tumours (cancer) are similar and can include any of the following:
The symptoms of both benign enlargement of the prostate gland (BPH) and malignant tumours (cancer) are similar and can include any of the following:
- Difficulty in passing urine
- Passing urine more frequently than usual, especially at night
- Pain on passing urine
- Uncommonly, blood in the urine
- Pain in the bones (if the cancer has spread to the bones)
If you have any of the above symptoms it is important that you
have them checked by your doctor. But remember, most enlargements of the
prostate are not cancer.
Cancer of the prostate is often a slow growing cancer, and symptoms may not occur for many years. Occasionally the first symptoms are pain in the back, hips or pelvis caused by cancer cells which
have spread to the bones.
Most enlargements of the prostate are not cancer