8 Warning Signs Of Prostate Cancer I Prostate Cancer Symptoms

Prostate enlargement is one of the most common health problems in senior men, and it is even more common in patients with a family history of such diseases. However, this enlargement may be due to benign or malignant causes, and both of them cause a similar array of signs and symptoms. Therefore, it is important to follow the recommendations by your urologist and perform a routine check-up that includes a digital rectal exam and measures of your prostate-specific antigen (PSA).

However, it is important to pay special attention to your own symptoms, as they will give you clues to look for medical help when in doubt. The most specific signs and symptoms of prostate cancer are usually found in a late stage of the disease. Early symptoms are difficult to distinguish from benign causes like prostate hyperplasia, but we should take all of them into consideration if we want an early diagnosis and start a successful treatment. Thus, pay attention to the following signs and symptoms associated with postage cancer:

Frequent urination

People often associate prostate cancer with frequent urination, and there is a link between these two. However, sometimes frequent urination and similar problems start a bit late as the disease progresses. They appear because as the prostate becomes bigger and bigger, pushing other organs as it grows. In doing so, the most frequently pushed-back organ is the urinary bladder.

Naturally, that would put extra pressure on the bladder and reduce the capacity of urine retention. As we mentioned, this symptom does not always appear as an early symptom of prostate cancer, so you should not be waiting for it to appear to start checking your prostate health.

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Prostate cancer usually develops in the opposite side of the prostate, the one facing the rectum, which is why it takes a bit of time until the tumor actually reaches the other side and affects the urinary bladder. If you want to rest assured you don’t have prostate cancer, the best place to look is near the rectum, which is why feeling the prostate through a rectal exam is still in use in modern medicine.

Weak urine flow

The prostate is not only near the urinary system, but it is also surrounding the urethra, where urine flows to leave the body. A prostate enlargement would likely build extra pressure upon the urethra, and that’s why the urine flow ends up being affected. Patients would usually complain about a difficulty to start urination and a weak flow of urine as they are on it. In the end, they typically keep dripping urine for a long time, and they may even continuously change their underwear because of this continuing leakage after passing urine.

Similar to frequent urination, weak urine flow is not always an early sign of prostate cancer, and it develops when the tumor has grown towards the urinary bladder and the urethra. Therefore, we should perform a complete exam to rest assured there’s nothing wrong.

Blood in the urine and seminal fluid

Hematuria or blood in the urine starts as a late development of prostate cancer. The urine starts looking pink, brownish and even red, but sometimes it is not perceived by the naked eye, and only a lab exam would be able to detect this alteration. It typically appears because the tumor is pressing structures of the urinary tract, including the urinary bladder, the urethra and even the ureters. Sometimes, it is also a side effect of the therapy to fight cancer.

Blood in the semen is called hematospermia, and it can be caused by an injury in any part of the male reproductive system including the testicles and the prostate. In prostate cancer, it can be the result of new blood vessel formation by the tumor. These new blood vessels are fragile and prone to bleeding. However, it may be also caused by radiotherapy and other options to fight cancer.

In any case, if you are younger than 40 years old and find blood in your semen once, it is likely to be an isolated event, but if you’re over 40 years old or continually have this symptom, you need to ask your doctor to investigate the cause.

Erectile dysfunction

Patients with prostate cancer often develop some degree of erectile dysfunction. This is even more common in patients who undergo prostate surgery because there is a chance that surgery would affect the nerves associated with erectile function. However, regardless of having or not surgery, these patients develop a difficulty to achieving and maintaining an erection.

This can be due to various causes such as decrease of blood flow and emotional problems as in anxiety symptoms experienced after suspecting or being diagnosed with prostate cancer. Either way, patients with erectile dysfunction usually perform better after talking out about their problems and feeling reassured with their sexual partner unless there is a severe physiological problem going on.

If you have erectile dysfunction, there are plenty of factors you need to explore before thinking about prostate cancer. Talk to your doctor about your concerns and do not be afraid, it is more common than you think.

Pressure in your rectum

As we mentioned before, prostate cancer often starts developing in the side of the prostate that is just in front of the rectum. Therefore, it is common to have rectal problems, as in a feeling of pressure or discomfort in your rectum and even bleeding in the rectal area. It all depends on the stage of cancer and the severity of your symptoms.

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Pressure on the rectum, and even bleeding, might be a symptom of hemorrhoids, which are more common than prostate cancer and should be ruled out first. Thus, if you have only this symptom it is unlikely you have cancer. Talk to your doctor if you have doubts or concerns about what you feel and follow his advice to the letter.

Unexplained weight loss

Weight loss is a common finding in all types of cancer, including prostate cancer. It develops in a late stage of the disease, and it is typically striking for patients and their caregivers. If you find yourself losing significant weight without trying a new diet or performing a new routine of exercises, it may count as an unexplained or unplanned weight loss, and there are plenty of causes to investigate, from thyroid problems to various types of cancer.

The severity and velocity of weight loss usually correlate with the aggressiveness of cancer. It is caused by an increase in energy consumption since cancer cells are taking up extra nutrients and extra oxygen from the blood to promote its accelerated growth. Therefore, severe weight loss is more commonly seen in end-stage cancer but may be experienced throughout the disease. It is also associated with a loss of appetite, chronic fatigue, and muscle wasting.

Diarrhea or constipation

In prostate cancer, it is common to experience changes in bowel habits, including diarrhea and constipation. There are other bowel symptoms associated with prostate cancer, including bowel incontinence and passing blood in the stools. There are plenty of explanations to these bowel changes, including that prostate cancer is likely to pressure upon certain spinal nerves, causing a disruption in the normal behavior of the digestive tract.

In other cases, inflammatory substances are responsible for a chemical reaction in the large intestine, causing accelerated bowel movements. It may also result from cancer therapy, in which case it is likely to be a temporary situation that resolves after cancer therapy is done with.

Swelling in the legs

Another late-stage sign of prostate cancer has to do with the legs. When the tumor has grown exponentially, it may even cause a blockage to the normal drainage of blood from the legs back to the heart. As a result, the patients would start feeling tingling in the legs, and fluid accumulates causing swelling and sometimes tenderness as well.

If you’re on the lookout for all of these symptoms and not performing any type of prostate exam or follow-up, you’re missing the most essential part of the screening and prevention schedule. These symptoms are meant to alert you against ongoing prostate cancer that is not necessarily on an early phase, so if you’re over 40 years old, it is time to start your routine check-ups and lab exams. Do not underestimate the value of these diagnostic tools just because you don’t have any of the signs and symptoms we have described above.

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Most cases of prostate cancer are not aggressive, and they are quite slow-moving, which makes it possible to live a healthy life even after being diagnosed with prostate cancer. However, you need to keep watch because certain types of prostate cancer might be particularly aggressive and become an imminent threat to the patient. Screening offers the possibility of early detection, and after performing your first visit, your doctor will be able to schedule your next appointment according to your symptoms, his findings, the lab analysis tests and your particular risk of having this type of cancer.