What is Prostate Cancer? Prostate cancer is a group of cancerous cells that usually begins in the outer part of the prostate. Around 30,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year. Of all the men who are diagnosed with cancer each year, more than 25% has prostate cancer. Prostate cancer generally affects men over the age of 50, about one-third of whom have some cancer cells within their prostate and nearly all men over the age of 80 have a small area of prostate cancer. Most of these cancers grow extremely slowly and so, particularly in elderly men, will never cause any problems. In a small proportion of men, the prostate cancer can grow more quickly and in some cases may spread to other parts of the body, particularly the bones. What are the causes of Prostate Cancer? Although the causes of prostate cancer are unknown, the following factors are known to increase a man’s chance of developing the disease: Men with close relatives who have, or have had, cancer of the prostate are slightly more likely to develop it. If several women in the family have had breast cancer (especially if they were diagnosed at less than 40 years of age) it could indicate that an inherited faulty gene is present in the family. The gene may increase the risk of the men in that family getting prostate cancer. Some ethnic groups have a higher chance of developing prostate cancer than others, for example, African-Caribbean or African-American men are more likely to have this type of cancer. Asian men have a lower risk of developing prostate cancer. A diet high in animal fat (including dairy products) and low in fresh fruit and vegetables may increase your risk of prostate cancer also a high intake of calcium (again from dairy foods) may increase the risk. Tomatoes and tomato products (such as ketchup) may help to protect against prostate cancer. What are the symptoms of Prostate Cancer? Men with early prostate cancer are unlikely to have any symptoms. Men over the age of 50 often have enlargement of the prostate gland due to non-cancerous conditions. The symptoms are similar for both of these and can include any of the following: - difficulty in passing urine
- passing urine more frequently than usual, especially at night
- pain when passing urine
- blood in the urine (this is uncommon).
Occasionally the first symptoms are pain in the back, hips or pelvis caused by cancer cells that have spread to the bones. How is Prostate Cancer diagnosed? A sample of blood is taken to check for PSA (prostate-specific antigen), a small amount of which is normally found in the blood. Men with cancer of the prostate tend to have more PSA in their blood. It is now possible to carry out a test at home to check for PSA levels. |
