Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer affecting men; around 36,000 men are diagnosed with it each year in the UK. Most cases develop in men aged 70 and over; the chance of getting this kind of cancer increases with age.

The prostate is a small gland found only in men. It is situated between the penis and the bladder. About the size of a walnut, it surrounds the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis.

Symptoms

When the cancer grows, it puts pressure on the urethra so symptoms can include:
• The need to pee more frequently
• Having to rush to the toilet
• Taking a long time to pee
• Difficulty in starting to pee
• A weak flow
• The bladder not feeling completely empty

These signs don’t mean you definitely have cancer (the prostate gets larger naturally as men get older) but if you do have these symptoms, get them checked out.

Treatment

• Surgical removal of the prostate
• Hormone therapy
• Radiotherapy

Prognosis is generally good if the cancer is caught early enough and treated. Prostate cancer develops very slowly; many men will die with prostate cancer rather than of prostate cancer.