Judith Early symptoms of prostate cancer may include difficulty urinating, frequent urination, urgency, and painful urination. As the disease progresses, symptoms such as hematuria and pelvic pain may appear. Symptoms of prostate cancer mainly include abnormal urination, local pain, erectile dysfunction, hematuria, and metastasis symptoms.
1. Abnormal urination
Patients with prostate cancer often experience abnormal symptoms related to urination in the early stages. The main symptoms include thinning of urine stream, frequent urination, especially nocturia, difficulty in controlling urinary urgency, need to exert force to urinate, and feeling of incomplete urination. This is related to the enlarged prostate compressing the urethra. Prostate-specific antigen testing and digital rectal examination are recommended for patients with persistent urinary discomfort.
2. Local pain
As the tumor grows, it may compress surrounding tissues, causing persistent pain in the perineum, lower abdomen, lumbosacral and other parts of the body. Some patients also experience discomfort during bowel movements. This pain may be related to tumor invasion of nerves or lymphatic vessels around the prostate. It needs to be differentiated from diseases such as prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
3. Erectile dysfunction
Prostate cancer may affect the erectile function of the penis, resulting in insufficient erection hardness or difficulty in maintaining an erection. This is related to anxiety caused by tumor compression of blood vessel and nerve bundles or cancer. It's worth noting that erectile dysfunction can also be a common complication after radical prostatectomy.
4. Hematuria
Microscopic or macroscopic hematuria may occur when the tumor invades the urethra or bladder neck. Hematuria is mostly painless and may occur intermittently. It needs to be differentiated from urinary tract stones, bladder tumors and other diseases. When hematuria occurs, you should seek medical examination promptly.
5. Metastasis symptoms
Advanced prostate cancer may cause bone metastasis, manifesting as persistent bone pain, especially in the spine, pelvis and other parts of the body, and pathological fractures may occur. Other symptoms of distant metastasis include lower limb edema, anemia, weight loss and other systemic symptoms. You should seek medical treatment promptly after diagnosis.
It is recommended that men over the age of 50 have an annual prostate health examination, including a digital rectal examination and a PSA test. Maintaining regular exercise can help improve prostate blood circulation, and drinking appropriate amounts of water to promote urination can reduce prostate irritation. Limiting red meat and high-fat diets may help prevent prostate cancer. If any of the above symptoms persist for more than two weeks, you should see a urology department promptly.
