1. Urinary Abnormalities May Signal Trouble
If you're an adult male over the age of 40, chances are you're already screened regularly for prostate cancer by your doctor. Fortunately, these screening techniques often can detect the disease in its early stages, before it reaches a level of development that causes symptoms. However, if you're suffering from urinary discomfort or abnormalities and you're at risk for prostate cancer, you should visit your doctor right away.
Symptoms you should be concerned about include frequent, urgent urination, especially during the night. Yet when prostate cancer is present, this urgency is often belied by difficulties ejecting urine from the bladder. If you're retaining urine, experiencing dribbling or a delayed stream when you try to urinate or if you're finding traces of blood in your urine or semen, visit your doctor. Loss of bladder control is a common sign of prostate problems.
2. Types of Cancer Pain
The types of pain associated with prostate cancer aren't limited to your reproductive organs. If you're experiencing unexplained, persistent discomfort in your abdomen and/or lower back, this could be a sign of the presence of prostate cancer. You also might experience pain when passing bowel movements and during or following urination and ejaculation.
3. Watch for Secondary Symptoms
If you experience any of these urinary or pain-related symptoms, you should also watch for secondary symptoms related to prostate cancer. Men with prostate cancer frequently complain of general malaise and fatigue and often feel anemic and lethargic. A sudden unexplained weight loss is a sign of many forms of cancer, and this symptom also occurs with prostate cancer. These secondary symptoms may manifest even if you show no primary prostate-cancer symptoms, so you should always err on the side of caution,and check with a doctor if you're not feeling quite like yourself.
