Do You Have A Prostate Cancer Symptom?
It can be easy to mistake a prostate cancer symptom for symptoms of less critical conditions like enlarged prostate (BPH) or prostatitis. In most ca...
It can be easy to mistake a prostate cancer symptom for symptoms of less critical conditions like enlarged prostate (BPH) or prostatitis. In most cases, a doctor is the first one to detect signs of prostate cancer, usually during a routine exam. That’s the reason why you should see your doctor if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms:
- Difficulty in urinating or holding urine
- The urge to urinate frequently, particularly at night
- Weak or intermittent urine flow
- Burning or painful urination
- Blood in urine or semen
- Painful ejaculations or difficulty in achieving erections
- Frequent lower back pain or stiffness in the upper thighs and hips
There are also a variety of factors that can influence the risk of developing prostate cancer, which affects one in six American men and makes it the most common type of non-skin cancer. These risk factors include:
Age. The risk rises sharply as men get older. Under age 40, the odds are roughly 1 in 10,000 to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. However, for men between the ages of 40 – 59, the rate increases to 1 in 38, and for men between 60 – 69, 1 in 15.
Family genetics. A man who has had a brother or father diagnosed with prostate cancer is twice as likely to develop it himself. The risk rises further if it was diagnosed in family members at an early age (younger than 55 years old) or if 3 or more family members were affected.
Race. African-American men are 60% more likely to develop prostate cancer than Caucasian men, with their odds of dying from the disease more than twice that of whites. For all men in the U.S., the prostate cancer risk is about 17%. The cancer rates for Asian men living in rural Asia are the lowest (about 2%), but when they move to the Western culture, their risk goes up dramatically.
Location. Men living in cities above 40 degrees latitude (north of Columbus, OH, or Philadelphia, PA) have the highest risk of death from prostate cancer than for men anywhere else in the U.S. It is suspected that lower levels of sunlight during the wintertime reduces critical Vitamin D levels, increasing cancer risks.
Additional risk factors that can cause the exhibition of prostate cancer symptoms and the development of aggressive prostate cancer:
- A consistent lack of high-fiber vegetables in the diet
- High calcium consumption
- Lack of exercise
- Excessive height.
Factors and conditions that don’t seem to increase your risks for developing prostate cancer include:
- Obesity, or a high body mass index (BMI)
- An enlarged prostate (or benign prostate hypertrophy)
- Prostatitis
- High levels of sexual activity
- Vasectomies
- Medications
- Alcohol
More than 200,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S., and 32,000 men will die from it this year. Darrin Paulsent delves into the subject in order to help men better distinguish between a legitimate prostate cancer symptom and the more common prostate enlarged symptoms that are easily treatable.
