Prostate Cancer Seldom Provides Warning Signs

The majority of men who develop prostate cancer do not have any physical complaints, which is why an annual exam by your family physician is important. The majority of prostate cancers are found because of abnormalities discovered during a prostate exam or with a simple blood test that measures PSA (prostate specific antigen) levels.

Still, there are some symptoms, while not specific to prostate cancer, that should be reported to your physician for further study. These include urinary frequency and urgency (having to get up often during the night to urinate, for example), or obstructive urinary symptoms such as slowing of the urinary stream or difficulty emptying the bladder.

Blood in the urine can be a sign of several health problems, including prostate cancer, and should be reported immediately.

A lump on the prostate detected by your physician during a digital rectal exam is another possible sign of prostate cancer. Typically, men should begin having annual prostate exams at age 50. But men with a family history of prostate cancer should begin prostate exams at age 40.

In fact, men who have a family history of prostate cancer are at least three times more likely to develop prostate cancer in their lifetime. If they have two or more relatives with prostate cancer, such as a brother, uncle or father, they are five times more likely to develop the disease, and if they have three or more relatives afflicted by prostate cancer, they are 11 times more likely to develop it themselves. African-American men are also at a higher risk of developing the disease.

Current theories suggest that prostate cancer most often occurs from developing or inheriting a genetic mutation and that environmental factors may make prostate cancer grow faster. There is also some evidence to suggest that such things as excessive dietary fat or a lack of vitamin C, E or selenium may be contributing factors.

Currently, researchers are working to improve the PSA blood test so that two types of PSAs can be measured (total PSA and percent-free PSA). PSA levels may be elevated by the growth of the prostate or prostate cancer.

The good news for individuals with prostate cancer is that the disease grows slowly and has a high survival rate if detected early.

MCW Health News presents up-to-date information on patient care and medical research by the physicians of the Medical College of Wisconsin.