Prostate Cancer - Symptoms

SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS

Prostate cancer usually doesn't cause symptoms in its early stages. When there are symptoms, they may include:

  • Urinary problems, such as:
    • Not being able to urinate at all.
    • Having a hard time starting or stopping the flow of urine.
    • Having to urinate often, especially at night.
    • Having pain or burning during urination.
  • Difficulty having an erection.
  • Blood in your urine or semen.
  • Deep and frequent pain in your lower back, belly, hip, or pelvis.

These symptoms may also be caused by:

  • Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which is an enlarged prostate. This is very common in older men. The prostate usually grows larger with age. When it gets large enough, it can press against the urethra—the tube that carries urine from the bladder through your penis—and cause bladder problems.
  • Prostatitis, an infection in the prostate.
  • Urinary tract infection, an infection in any of the organs that make urine or the tubes that carry it out of the body.

Symptoms that may show the cancer has spread, or metastasized, to other parts of the body include:

  • Weight loss.
  • Bone pain, especially in the lower abdomen, hip, pelvis, or lower back.
  • Swelling in the legs and feet.

For more information about prostate cancer that has come back or spread, see the topic Prostate Cancer, Advanced or Metastatic.

By: Healthwise StaffLast Revised: February 23, 2011
Medical Review: E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine
J. Curtis Nickel, MD, FRCSC - Urology

© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.

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