Prostate Cancer Symptoms and Risk Factors
Prostate Cancer Symptoms
Prostate cancer may not cause any symptoms, especially early on. If symptoms do happen, they can include:
- frequent urination, especially at night
- problems urinating, such as trouble starting or stopping, pain or burning, or a weak flow
- difficulty having an erection
- painful ejaculation
- blood in urine or semen
- frequent pain or stiffness in the lower back, hips or upper thighs.
If you have any of these symptoms, regardless of your age, you should talk to your health care provider as soon as possible. These symptoms may be caused by something else, but the only way to know for sure is to see your health care provider.
Prostate Cancer Risk Factors
Different cancers have different risk factors. Some factors that may increase the risk for prostate cancer are:
- Age. As males get older, their risk of prostate cancer increases.
- Race. The risk of developing prostate cancer is highest among Black males and lowest among Asian males. Scientists do not know the reason for this.
- Family history. Males whose close relatives (father, brother, son) have had prostate cancer (especially at an early age) are more likely to get prostate cancer.
Lowering Risk for Prostate Cancer
There is no sure way to prevent prostate cancer. But there are some things you can do that might lower your risk of prostate cancer.
- Eat more vegetables, fruits and whole grains and eat less red and processed (e.g., bacon, sausage, luncheon meat, hot dogs) meats. These actions may reduce the risk of developing many types of cancer as well as other diseases.
- Get to and stay at a healthy weight.
- Exercise regularly.
