Prostate cancer generally affects men over 50 and is rare in younger men. It’s the most common type of cancer in men. Around 37,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year.
The prostate is a small gland in the pelvis, found only in men. It is about the size of a satsuma, it’s located between the penis and the bladder, and surrounds the urethra.
The main function of the prostate is to produce a thick white fluid that creates semen when mixed with the sperm produced by the testicles.
It’s thought that about half (50%) of all men over 50 may have cancer cells in their prostate, and 8 out of 10 (80%) men over 80 have a small area of prostate cancer. Some prostate cancer grows too slowly to cause any problems or affect how long you will live. Because of this, many men with prostate cancer will never need any treatment. However, some prostate cancers grows quickly and are more likely to spread. This is more likely to cause problems and will need treatment to stop the cancer spreading.
What is the prostate?
It is not known exactly what causes prostate cancer but there are some things that may mean you are more likely to get it – these are called risk factors.
The prostate is a small gland in the pelvis, found only in men. It is about the size of a satsuma, it’s located between the penis and the bladder, and surrounds the urethra.
The main function of the prostate is to produce a thick white fluid that creates semen when mixed with the sperm produced by the testicles.
Am I at risk?
We don’t know exactly what causes prostate cancer but there are some things that may mean you are more likely to get it – these are called risk factors.
There are three main risk factors for getting prostate cancer, which are things you can’t change. These are:
- getting older– it mainly affects men aged 50 or over
- having a family history of prostate cancer
- ethnicity (more common in black African men than white men)
If you have any of these risk factors or if you have any symptoms (see below), speak to your GP. They can talk to you about your risk, and about the tests that are used to diagnose prostate cancer.
For further information on who is at risk of prostate cancer, please follow this link.
Symptoms of prostate cancer
Prostate cancer develops when cells in the prostate start to grow in an uncontrolled way. It differs from most other cancers in the body, as small areas of cancer within the prostate are very common and may stay dormant (inactive) for many years.
Symptoms of prostate cancer do not usually appear until the prostate is large enough to affect the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the penis (urethra).
When this happens, you may notice things like:
- an increased need to pee
- straining while you pee
- a feeling that your bladder has not fully emptied
These symptoms should not be ignored, but they do not mean you have prostate cancer. It’s more likely they’re caused by something else, such as prostate enlargement.
Symptoms of advanced prostate cancer
The symptoms of advanced prostate cancer may include those that are due to an enlarged prostate gland (as above), or those that are due to secondary cancers elsewhere in the body.
The symptoms due to secondary cancers will depend on where in the body the secondary cancers are. However, there are a few general symptoms which some men have, including being more tired than usual, feeling generally unwell and having less of an appetite.
Patient information
For more information from Macmillan regarding prostate cancer, please follow this link.
For more information from Cancer Research UK regarding prostate cancer, please follow this link.
Prostate Cancer UK have useful information regarding prostate cancer, and their website can be accessed by following this link.
