Empowering men by knowing the symptoms of prostate cancer

How many men know what the symptoms are for prostate cancer?  They should as prostate cancer is considered the second most deadly cancer (after lung cancer) among men in the United States.  And it’s not just U.S. men who are at risk.  Another country – Great Britain – made a recent announcement that for the first time, prostate cancer now kills more men than breast cancer making it the third deadliest cancer among British men.

Sometimes, prostate cancer may not be taken as seriously as it should.  Maybe it’s because the vast majority of the 1 out of every 7 men in the U.S. who will be diagnosed with it, will survive.  Because of this, men often think of prostate cancer as the “good” cancer to get.  They assume that because there is not a huge number of men who die from the disease therefore it must not be as dangerous.  That sort of thinking is unwise.  For this year of 2018, the American Cancer Society estimates in the United States about 164,690 new cases of prostate cancer will be found and about 29,430 men will die from the disease.

But many men are not as familiar with the possible telltale signs of prostate cancer.  The more men know and understand symptoms that could be indicating a problem with their prostate, the quicker they can catch the disease at an earlier, more treatable and survivable stage.

Considering more men will be diagnosed with and succumb to prostate cancer during 2018 than in the previous year, every man should discuss with his doctor about the risk factors and signs of this serious and sometimes fatal condition. Prostate cancer symptoms can be confusing and difficult to separate from other common noncancerous disorders affecting the prostate such as benign prostatic hyperplasia.  Unless a man knows symptoms indicative of prostate cancer, he could miss the opportunity finding it early before it has developed into a later stage disease.

Signs and symptoms of prostate cancer

Here are symptoms that might be indicating prostate cancer men should familiarize themselves with.  Again, just because a man may have one or more of the symptoms, does not automatically mean he has prostate cancer.  Only after seeing his doctor to have tests conducted, will he know for sure:

·      Trouble starting to urinate

·      Weak or interrupted flow of urine

·      Urinating more often, particularly during the night

·      Trouble emptying the bladder

·      Pain or burning during urination

·      Bloody urine or semen

·      Painful ejaculation

·      Chronic pain in the back, hips, or pelvis

Men should also be aware of risk factors increasing a man’s likelihood of developing prostate cancer which include the following:

·      Prostate cancer increases with age.  It is rare to be found in men younger than 40 but once past age 50, the risk increase.  Almost 6 out of 10 men with prostate cancer are older than age 65.

·      Black men are more likely than men of other races and ethnicities to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, to be diagnose at a younger age, to be diagnosed at a more advanced stage  and to die from the disease

·      Family history is a strong risk factor.  Men whose father or brother had prostate cancer are more than twice as likely to also be diagnosed with the disease.  That risk increases if several family members are affected and if these men were diagnosed at a younger age.

The more proactive men are when it comes to their health and well-being, the greater chance they can live a long, healthy life and avoid medical conditions such as prostate cancer.  By knowing and understanding the signs, symptoms and risk factors of the disease, the more empowered they will be.