Prostate Cancer Symptoms
Most men over the age of fifty will experience some changes in the health of their prostate gland, this usually includes enlargement of the gland. Because the prostate enlarges very slowly, the symptoms may hardly be noticeable at first; but in time there may be changes in bodily habits. These may include some or all of the following:
- A delay before flow begins when trying to urinate
- The speed of the urine flow may be slow, with stops and starts and with some dribbling at the end
- A desire to pass urine more often or with greater urgency
- A need to get up more than twice each night to pass water
- A feeling that the bladder has not emptied completely.
These symptoms, which are caused by the enlargement of the prostate gland squeezing the urethra, can greatly reduce the quality of life for men. They can also cause embarrassment, anxiety and worry.
The majority of men are embarrassed by urinary problems and many may choose to ignore them. This is not what they should be doing. The problems must be faced fairly and squarely as soon as the problem becomes apparent. It is very important that a correct diagnosis of the problem is obtained as soon as possible. There are three main conditions that affect the prostate, two of them are a benign condition, that is they are not usually life-threatening, and it is easy to confuse them because they produce many of the same symptoms.
For the majority of men, the problem may be a simple enlargement of the prostate, medically described as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). For some the problem could be prostatitis, an inflammation of the prostate often caused by a bacterial infection.
Many of the symptoms in BPH and prostate cancer (the third condition) are the same. However in cancer, cells within the prostate begin to multiply out of control, gradually destroying the internal structure of the gland. It is important to get an early diagnosis if symptoms persist; cancer detected early can be treated much more effectively.
Prostate Cancer Symptoms are more fully discussed in "I survived prostate cancer" including details of my own experience and how I came to be diagnosed.
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