In fact, most men with prostate cancer do not have symptoms because their cancer has been found at a very early stage by a

 

 

 

 

 

PSA test
A PSA test measures the amount of a substance called prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, in your blood. The prostate gland produces PSA to keep semen liquid. When men have prostate cancer, more PSA seeps from the prostate into the blood. So, the PSA test can be used to detect the chance of a man having prostate cancer.

 

 

 

 

 

PSA test or an

 

 

 

 

 

digital rectal exam
The digital rectal exam (DRE) is a test doctors use to check for prostate cancer. If a man's tumor is bigger than half an inch (around 1.5 centimeters), his doctor may be able to feel it through the wall of his rectum. Wearing a medical glove and using a lubricating gel to make the exam more comfortable, the doctor will put a finger into the man's rectum to feel for a lump. This doesn't hurt, but some men find it embarrassing.

 

 

 

 

 

examination of their rectum.

You are more likely to get symptoms if and when your cancer grows or spreads. But many prostate cancers grow very slowly. If you are older, you may never have any symptoms or problems from the disease.

Around 70 in 100 men will not have any symptoms, such as pain or problems urinating, for at least the first five years after doctors find they have prostate cancer. Forty in 100 are unlikely to have any symptoms after 10 years.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Adolfsson J, Steineck G, Hedlund PO.
Deferred treatment of clinically localized low-grade prostate cancer: actual 10-year and projected 15-year follow-up of the Karolinska series.
Urology. 1997; 50(5): 722-726.

 

 

 

 

 

¹ Your chance of developing symptoms is greater if you have a higher-grade tumor (a Gleason score of 8 to 10).

Here are some of the most common symptoms that men experience as their cancer gets worse. Please bear in mind that if you have any of these symptoms, it does not mean you have cancer. But it is a good idea to see your doctor.

You may find you have an urgent need to urinate or that you need to go very often, especially at night. You may also find it difficult to start urinating and to control the flow of your urine. It may dribble out, and stop and start. When you do go, it can be painful and you might feel a burning sensation. Some men also find that blood comes out in their stream when they first start to urinate.

These problems happen because the growing tumour presses on the urethra, the tube that carries the urine out through your penis. This makes it difficult for urine to flow through it. The symptoms can also occur because the cancer has spread into the ring of muscle in the neck (opening) of the bladder.

However, if you have problems urinating, it does not necessarily mean you have cancer. This symptom can also be caused by your prostate getting larger as you get older. This condition is called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). "Benign" means noncancerous, and "hyperplasia" is an increase in the number of normal cells. BPH is not dangerous or life-threatening, but an enlarged prostate can be uncomfortable.

Problems passing urine may also be a sign of an infection in your urinary tract (the parts of your body that produce and remove urine). Men with urinary problems are no more likely than men without urinary problems to have early prostate cancer.

You may feel pain when you have an orgasm for the same reason that you may have problems urinating: The tumor in your prostate may be pressing on the urethra, the tube that carries urine and semen (milky fluid that contains sperm) out through your penis. As the tumor grows, it can block the opening of the urethra.

When prostate cancer spreads (a process called

 

 

 

 

 

metastasis
This happens when cancer cells spread to parts of the body that are far away from the primary tumor. The cancer can travel through the bloodstream, lymph system or other fluids. New tumors may form in another area of the body as a result.

 

 

 

 

 

metastasis), it tends to travel to the nearby bones, and this can be very painful. You might ache and feel very stiff. If the cancer has spread to your spine, your legs may tingle and swell, making it difficult to get up and walk around comfortably. Sometimes the bones can weaken and break, even if you have not had a fall.

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
Guyton AC, Hall JE.
Reproductive and hormonal functions of the male.
In: Textbook of medical physiology. 10th edition. WB Saunders, Philadelphia, U.S.A.; 2000.

 

 

 

 

 

²

 

 

 

 

 

Source:
National Cancer Institute.
Early prostate cancer.
Available at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/early-prostate (accessed on 1 December 2009).

 

 

 

 

 

³

Normally your bones stay healthy by breaking down old bone and building up new bone. Cancer cells can upset this cycle, so the bones become weak and tend to break easily.

If your prostate cancer spreads, you may develop anemia, which means you have too few

 

 

 

 

 

red blood cells
Red blood cells are the part of your blood that makes it red. Their main job is to carry oxygen from your heart and lungs out to the tissues of your body. Once these cells unload oxygen, they pick up carbon dioxide. They take carbon dioxide back to your lungs so you can breathe it out of your body.

 

 

 

 

 

red blood cells. This causes extreme tiredness. Advanced cancer can also cause a loss of appetite.

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