Six early warning signs for one of UK’s most common cancers you need to look out for
ONE of the UK's most common cancers has early warning signs you need to look out for.
Prostate cancer is the biggest killer of men in the UK - but if it's caught early there's a good chance it can be stopped.
There are 40,000 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed each year in the UK.
The disease is very treatable if caught early and charities are now urging people to be aware of the signs in order to stop the illness in its tracks.
According to , the illness doesn’t have any symptoms until the growth is big enough to put pressure on the urethra – that tube you pee through.
When this happens, some people may experience the following:
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- Needing to urinate more often, especially at night
- Needing to rush to the toilet
- Difficulty in starting to pee
- Weak flow
- Straining and taking a long time while peeing
- Feeling that your bladder hasn’t emptied fully
The prostate is a small, gland, that only men have.
II can be found around the urethra, between the penis and the bladder.
Many men's prostates get bigger as they age because of two non-cancerous conditions: prostate enlargement and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
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In fact, these conditions are more common than prostate cancer – but that doesn’t mean symptoms should be ignored, the charity said.
If the disease has spread to other parts of the body - which is when it's known as advanced or metastatic prostate cancer - it can cause several other symptoms, including:
- back or bone pain that doesn’t go away with rest
- tiredness
- weight loss for no reason
What causes prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is very common, but it's causes are unknown, the NHS says.
Most cases occur in men aged 50 or over, while prostate cancer is more common in men of African or Caribbean descent, and less common in Asian men.
One in four black men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during their lifetime.
A survey by previously revealed men over 45 knew the least about the killer disease and more than half of black African and Caribbean men did not know their ethnicity increased their risk.
Having a dad or brother who had prostate cancer can also increases your risk.
Recent research suggests obesity increases your risk of prostate cancer while exercising regularly lowers it.
A high-calcium diet, rich in dairy, is also thought to be unfavourable when it comes to risk level, the NHS says.
Eating foods that contain lycopene reduces the risk of prostate cancer developing, says.
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This includes tomatoes and tomato-based foods, particularly when cooked.