Prostate Cancer

What is early prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer occurs when the cells of your prostate gland grow in an abnormal way. Early prostate cancer is also called localised prostate cancer. This means the cancer is found within the prostate only. It has not spread outside your prostate gland. The tumour may be too small to be felt during an exam of your back passage and your doctor may only suspect it after doing a PSA test. Often men with early prostate cancer do not have any symptoms at all.

What causes prostate cancer?

The exact cause of prostate cancer is unknown. Research continues to study possible causes. But there are certain things called risk factors that can increase your chance of getting the disease. These include::

Age: The risk of prostate cancer increases with age. It is rare in men under the age of 50.

Family history: If you have a brother or father with the disease, your risk is higher. The risk is also higher if your relative developed prostate cancer at a younger age or if you have more than one relative with the disease.

Race: Afro-Caribbean men are at a higher risk of developing prostate cancer.

Remember prostate cancer is not infectious and cannot be passed on to other people.

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

As you get older your prostate gland can get bigger. This is often due to a condition other than cancer. It is known as benign enlargement of the prostate or benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH).Some men with prostate cancer may have similar symptoms too. The symptoms may include the following:

Trouble starting or stopping the flow of urine
Passing urine more often, especially at night
Feeling you have not fully emptied your bladder after passing urine
Pain or difficulty when passing urine

If you have any of the above symptoms, do get them checked out by your doctor. But remember that often symptoms are not due to cancer and they can be treated. Because prostate cancer often grows slowly, symptoms may not occur for many years. It is very common for a man with early prostate cancer to have no symptoms at all.