The prostate is located between the bladder and the rectum. Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed male cancer in the UK. If the condition is diagnosed early, it has excellent survival rates; you should look out for the following symptoms:
- Frequent need to urinate
- Pain during urination
- Pain during ejaculation
- Blood in the urine or semen
- A feeling that the bladder has not fully emptied even after multiple trips to the toilet
In advanced cases, patients may also experience pain in the joints and bones, loss of weight and traces of blood in the urine.
Risk factors
There is no single cause of prostate cancer but there are some factors which may increase the risk of suffering from prostate cancer; these include:
- Being overweight or obese
- Family history of prostate cancer
- Being of African-Caribbean heritage and living in a Western country
- Age: prostate cancer is much more common in men over the age of 50
Treating prostate cancer
Treatment usually involves surgery if the cancer is in advanced stages and radiotherapy if the case is less advanced; other methods such as ultrasound may also be used.