How To Recognize 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 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

- Frequently urinating, quite often a night

- An intermittent or weak urine flow

- A painful or burning sensation when urinating

- Urine or semen containing blood

- 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 father or brother with a prostate cancer diagnosis is twice as likely to develop it himself. The risk rises even more if that diagnosis of prostate cancer in family members occurred at an early age (e.g., 55 years old), or if there were 3 or more family members 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. In the U.S, men living in cities north of 40 degrees latitude (around Philadelphia, PA or Columbus, OH) experience the highest risk of death from prostate cancer than for men living anywhere else. It’s commonly believed that the lower levels of sunlight in the northern regions reduces Vitamin D levels critical to good health.

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 because of a sedentary way of life

- Excessive height.

Conditions and factors that don’t appear to increase your prostate cancer risks include:

- Obesity, or having a high BMI (body mass index)

- An enlarged prostate (or benign prostate hypertrophy)

- Prostatitis

- An overly-active sex life

- Vasectomies

- OTC and prescription medications

- Alcohol

Once author Chuck Viccente experienced his first potential prostate cancer symptom, it scared him so much that he began researching and writing articles on prostate enlarged symptoms, prostatitis, BPH, and other important male health concerns. Here he gladly shares some of what he has learned.