What is Prostate Cancer?
Prostate cancer is a cancer of the prostate gland and begins in the cells of the prostate. Most prostate cancers start in the outer gland cells of the prostate. You may be familiar with the term prostate but not know exactly where it is. The prostate is a gland that is part of the male reproductive system and can be found at the base of the bladder and in front of the rectum (back passage).
Prostate cancer is a male-only cancer, however, if you are a trans woman or are non-binary assigned male at birth, you also need to be aware of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer in the UK and although younger men can be diagnosed with Prostate Cancer it is more common in men over the age of 65 years old.
There are different types of prostate cancer:
- early or localised prostate cancer. This means that the cancer is only inside the prostate gland.
- locally-advanced prostate cancer. This means that the cancer has moved through the capsule surrounding the prostate gland and may have started to spread into tissue or organs close by e.g the rectum.
- advanced prostate cancer or metastatic prostate cancer. This means that the cancer has spread to other parts of the body (e.g the bones).
Symptoms of Prostate Cancer
In early stages of Prostate Cancer a person may not have any symptoms, as symptoms only occur when the cancer is large enough to begin pressing on the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis (urethra).
There is also a condition called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH), which is non-cancerous. Symptoms of BPH and prostate cancer may be similar and may include:
- needing to pass urine more frequently, particularly at night
- difficulty passing urine (e.g a weak flow or having to strain to start peeing)
- feeling like you have not completely emptied your bladder
- feeling an urgent need to pass urine
- blood in your urine or semen
- pain when peeing or ejaculating (rarely)
It is important to remember that urinary symptoms such as difficulty passing urine are rarely caused by prostate cancer.
Treatment Options
Treatment options for your Prostate Cancer will be discussed with your consultant, however, they may be dependent on:
- your age
- the type of cell the cancer started in and where it began
- how abnormal the cells look under the microscope (the grade)
- the size of the cancer and whether it has spread (the stage)
- your Cambridge Prognostic Group (CPG) or Gleason Score
- your general health