Are There Symptoms?

Transcript

Typically prostate cancer causes no symptoms. And that’s a good thing if we diagnose prostate cancer at a very early stage. Because that’s the stage where it’s most likely to be curable.

At more advanced stages, because the prostate surrounds the urethra, where the urine exits the bladder, as prostate cancer advances, it can cause urinary troubles, difficulty starting the urinary flow, a weak stream, or in some cases, inability to urinate at all.

In very advanced stages, we call that Stage Four, where the prostate cancer has spread, symptoms might develop based on the location of where the prostate cancer spread ended up. So for example, if prostate cancer has spread to the spine, the symptom might be back pain. If it has spread to the hip bone, hip pain or growing pain might occur. This is very similar to most cancers.

To summarize: when cancers are at a very early stage at their most curable, no symptoms at all might be present. As cancer advances, symptoms occur based on the location of the cancer at that stage.

Key Takeaways

1. Prostate cancer usually causes no symptoms because it’s at a very early stage where it is still curable.

2. At more advanced stages, it can cause urinary troubles, a weak stream, or in some cases, inability to urinate at all.

3. In very advanced stages, symptoms might develop based on the location of where the prostate cancer spread ended up.

4. As cancer advances, symptoms occur based on the location of the cancer at that stage.