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Prostate Cancer Symptoms

Most men with prostate cancer have no symptoms. This is particularly true of early prostate cancer.

    * Most prostate cancers are discovered incidentally when a digital rectal exam is performed.

    * A digital rectal exam is part of a thorough regular health examination. Digital refers to finger.

    * During the digital rectal exam, the examiner inserts a gloved and lubricated finger in the rectum to feel the prostate for abnormalities.

Symptoms usually appear when the tumor causes some degree of urinary blockage at the bladder neck or the urethra.

    * The usual symptoms include difficulty in starting and stopping the urinary stream, increase in frequency of urination, and pain while urinating.

    * The urinary stream may be diminished (urinary retention), or it may simply dribble out.

    * Even after urination, there is a sense of bladder fullness because the bladder has not been fully emptied.

Less common symptoms are blood in the urine (hematuria), painful ejaculation, or impotence (inability to have an erection).

    * These 3 symptoms are uncommon in early stages of the disease. They usually occur when the cancer is advanced.

    * As the cancer advances to cause a greater blockage, bladder function may deteriorate further.

    * Men with such advanced cancers sometimes experience recurring urinary tract infections.

Despite these symptoms, many men do not seek medical care until the cancer has spread. Symptoms of metastatic disease include fatigue, malaise, and weight loss. Spread to the bones causes deep bone pain, especially in the hips and back, and bone fractures from weakening of the bone.