There are seven signs linked to prostate cancer, according to experts.
Prostate cancer accounts for 24.1 per cent of all cancers diagnosed in men with one in eight men in the UK estimated to be diagnosed during their life.
Largely symptomless, prostate cancer is often difficult to spot meaning it is really important to look out for certain urinary symptoms that may be related to the disease.
Survival rates are quite favourable with about 78 per cent of those diagnosed surviving for 10 years or more - reports The Express.
However, early detection and diagnosis can be paramount in terms of surviving the disease.
If you have any of the following seven symptoms, you should talk to your doctor about prostate-specific antigen screening.
The seven urinary symptoms linked to the condition are:
- Trouble urinating
- Decreased force in the stream of urine
- Blood in the urine
- Blood in the semen
- Bone pain
- Losing weight without trying
- Erectile dysfunction
When diagnosed at its earliest stage, 100 percent of people with prostate cancer will survive their disease for five years or more.
Prostate cancer survival is improving and has tripled in the last 40 years in the UK, probably because of PSA testing.
The problem is, prostate cancer doesn’t usually cause any symptoms in its early stages so men often don’t get tested and diagnosed early enough to improve their chances of survival.
This is because prostate cancer normally starts to grow in the outer part of the prostate where it will not press on the urethra.
You won’t be able to detect it until prostate cancer has advanced and grown large enough to put pressure on the urethra.
The urethra carries urine from the bladder out of the penis so cancer growing here will change the way you urinate.
If you notice changes in the way you urinate, it’s more likely to be an enlarged prostate than prostate cancer but it’s still important to get your symptoms checked out.
Lots of men experience these mild symptoms over many years and don’t do anything about them, but it’s vital that you seek medical advice and testing.
If you have locally advanced prostate cancer (when it breaks out of the prostate) or if the cancer has advanced and spread to other areas of the body, you may experience more general symptoms.
Prostate Cancer UK says the following are signs of both:
- back pain, hip pain or pelvis pain
- problems getting or keeping an erection
- blood in the urine or semen
- unexplained weight loss
Although it’s essential to see your GP, don’t panic too much. All of these symptoms could be caused by non-cancerous health problems.
Even if it isn’t cancer, your GP can help you to find out what is causing your symptoms.
Since prostate cancer doesn’t have any obvious symptoms (and if you do have symptoms, they could be caused by something else), it’s impossible to know if you have prostate cancer without getting tested.
You can’t check for prostate cancer yourself, so you must visit your GP to discuss the pros and cons of the various tests you can do.
The GP will probably ask you for a urine sample and a blood sample (a PSA test) and they may examine your prostate by inserting a gloved finger into your bottom.
If you have a raised PSA level, you may be referred for an MRI scan and then potentially a biopsy to diagnose the cancer.
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