Since a prostate cancer symptom can look the same as a symptom of something like BPH (enlarged prostate), it can be easy to mistake one for the other. It’s generally during routine examinations that prostate cancer is first detected. If you’re showing any of the following symptoms, you should probably go see your doctor immediately:
– Difficulty in retaining or passing urine
– Frequent urination, particularly at night
– Urine flow that’s weak or intermittent
– Burning or painful urination
– Blood in urine or semen
– Painful ejaculations or difficulty in achieving erections
– Frequent lower back pain or stiffness in the upper thighs and hips
There are also a number of other factors that influence the chances of developing prostate cancer. Prostate cancer affects one out of six American men, making it the most common type of non-skin cancer. These risk factors include:
Age. As men get older the risk rises sharply. For men under 40, the odds of being diagnosed with prostate cancer are roughly 1 in 10,000. However, for men between 40 – 59, the risk increases to 1 in every 38, and for men between 60 – 69, the risk jumps to 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 have a 60% more likely chance to develop prostate cancer than men of Caucasian origin, with their odds of dying from the cancer being more than twice that of whites. For U.S. men overall, the risk of prostate cancer is 17%. Asian men living in Asian countries have the lowest overall cancer rate (2%), but for those who have moved into Western cultures, their risk has been shown to rise dramatically.
Location. U.S. men living in cities north of 40 degrees latitude (say, north of Columbus or Philadelphia) have the highest risk of dying from prostate cancer than men living elsewhere in the country. That tendency is widely attributed to the lower levels of sunlight available during the wintertime, reducing important Vitamin D levels and increasing cancer risks.
Additional risk factors that can cause the exhibition of prostate cancer symptoms and the development of aggressive prostate cancer:
– Not eating nearly enough high-fiber vegetables
– High calcium consumption
– Lack of exercise
– Excessive height.
Factors and conditions that don’t seem to increase your risks for developing prostate cancer include:
– Obesity, or a high body mass index (BMI)
– Enlarged prostate (BPH)
– Prostatitis
– Hypersexuality
– Vasectomies
– OTC and prescription medications
– Alcohol
Over 200,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S., and 32,000 men will die from it this year. Author Darrin Paulsent delves into the subject to help men distinguish between a true prostate cancer symptom and the much more common prostate enlarged symptoms that are easily treatable.