Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men and the second leading cause of cancer related death in men in the United States.
The average age at the time of diagnosis is about 66 years old, with about 6 cases in 10 diagnosed in men aged 65 or older and very few diagnosed before age 40. Prostate cancer can have no symptoms at all and there is no definitive screening protocol for cancer, due to false positives and false negatives among current screening tests. When detected, 90% of cancers are found locally within the prostate and have not spread to other parts of the body, which means that nearly 100% of men at this stage are disease free after five years. If you are worried about prostate cancer, learn to recognize the symptoms and increase your awareness around testing and the stages of prostate cancer, in order to get treatment as quickly as possible.
Early Symptoms of Prostate Cancer
1.Identify the symptoms of early prostate cancer. Document any symptoms you notice, so that you can tell your doctor about them. These symptoms are not definitive proof that you have prostate cancer, but they should be a signal to you that you need to get screened by a doctor.
2. Pay attention to your urination cycles. If they change dramatically, it could be a symptom of prostate cancer. For instance, if you take more time to finish urinating. Due to its location, the mass from cancer can push up against your urethra or bladder preventing normal flow of urine. This is called a weak or slow flow. Note if it takes you longer to complete urinating or if the urine is slow/dribbling from your penis.
Wanting to go to the bathroom but no urine comes out. The mass from the prostate has blocked off the urethra or bladder opening to the urethra. (16) If you feel you have to go but nothing comes out the penis or very small dribbling of urine, you may have a more severe blockage of the urethra/bladder.
Having the urge to urinate more at night or waking up with the feeling. Since the mass obstructs urine outlet, your bladder may not empty entirely during the day. So when you are sleeping the bladder fills up faster due to the urine previously there. You may also get the sense you want to urinate but you cannot due to the mass blocking the urethra/bladder.
3. Be aware of burning when you urinate. Due to more urine collecting within the bladder and/or urethra from incomplete voiding, infections can arise causing inflammation. When urine passes through it irritates and causes a burning pain through the urethra. When the prostate is inflamed from an infection, this is called prostatitis.
4. Look for blood in your urine or a pink/red urine tint. Due to the enlarging mass from prostate cancer new blood vessels may form and many others may get injured. Blood in urine is known as hematuria. Also, enlargement of the prostate may lead to prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate) and increase urinary tract infections which can cause blood in the urine.
5. Pay attention to painful ejaculations (orgasm). It is well documented that there may be an association of prostate cancer with prostatitis (inflammation of the prostate from infection). When this occurs the inflammation of the prostate can irritate the gland upon ejaculation causing painful orgasms.
Warning
Contact your doctor if you notice of these symptoms as soon as possible, the earlier you do,the earlier the better
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