One in five men can’t name a symptom: The prostate cancer symptoms men shouldn’t ignore

With prostate cancer being one of the most common diagnoses amongst men, Tim Dudderidge, a Consultant Urologist at The Focal Therapy Clinic, has revealed what symptoms to look out for if they might have prostate cancer.

Mr Dudderidge said: “The age we tend to want to detect early cancers in men is ages 50 to 70. The likelihood of being diagnosed with prostate cancer increases as you get older. Older men may get more harm than benefit from finding and treating early prostate cancer, so when screening is undertaken, the typical age range is 50-70 years old.

“Men over 70 may present to their doctor with the typical prostate symptoms of slow flow and getting up at night to pee. These symptoms are usually caused by prostate enlargement, but also sometimes by a combination of prostate enlargement and cancer. In men over 70, treatment can be considered helpful if men have a good life expectancy and the cancer is a risky one.

Healthy men who are considered high risk, which includes black men and those with a family history of prostate cancer, normally begin PSA screening from 45 years old, when it is being undertaken.”

According to Mr Dudderidge, these are some of the symptoms and signs of prostate enlargement and other urological problems, including prostate cancer, that men should be aware of:

• Blood in the urine, which could have a slight pink or red colour

• Needing to urinate more often or with a weak flow

• Trouble trying to urinate

• Waking up to urinate more often at night

• Feeling tired

• Back pain and leg weakness

• Experiencing erectile dysfunction

Mr Dudderidge said: “More than 50,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer annually in the UK. Approximately 10,000 of those men will be diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer each year. This may happen due to men not seeking an early diagnosis with proactive testing.”

He added: “It's important to acknowledge that early diagnosis may lead to an excess of treatments for cancers that can't spread during a man’s life. But without early detection and selection of the cancers for treatment, we won't reduce the number of cancer deaths in the UK. Surveillance, focal therapy, and high-quality robotic surgical techniques all mitigate against the risks of finding cancers early, so men can be reassured if they come for early testing that we are doing our best to treat those that need it.

“It’s also critically important to be vigilant and keep track of any symptoms you may experience. Be sure to get them checked out by a doctor and be safe.”