What is prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer is a cancer that starts in the prostate gland, located close to the rectum and just at the base of the bladder.

There are two different ways that prostate cancer can act, it can either be a slow growing and easily manageable cancer, or in rare cases it can be an incredibly aggressive cancer, spreading quickly.

Because of the nature of the cancer, it’s difficult to determine at diagnosis how the cancer will act in each patient, making treatment difficult.

Who is most affected by it?

According to statistics, one in seven men will develop prostate cancer throughout their lifetime, the highest risk being after age 60.

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

Symptoms of prostate cancer include:

• Changes associated with the bladder

• Frequent need to urinate, especially during the nighttime

• Intense need relieve the bladder

• Difficulty in starting or stopping the flow of urine

• Unable to urinate

• Weak or decreased urine stream

• Interrupted urine stream

• A feeling of an un-emptied bladder, even after urinating

• Burning or pain during urination

• Blood in the urine or semen

• Pain during ejaculation

How do you test for it?

The most common tests for prostate cancer are a DRE (Digital Rectal Examination) and a PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test.

In a DRE, the doctor will slip a gloved and lubricated finger into the rectum of the patient, feeling for abnormalities. This test is then usually used in conjunction with the PSA test, which tests the blood for high levels of prostate-specific antigen.

However, the problem with these tests is that even while used together, they are not 100% accurate. They can sometimes miss prostate cancer when it is present, a false negative, or cause false alarms by suggesting that prostate cancer is present when it isn’t, a false positive.

The tests are most useful in diagnosing high-risk patients, but will not always catch prostate cancer early.