ASK DR ZOE
After years of UTI symptoms doctors have found a red patch on my prostate – is it cancer?
Red patches can have several possible causes
OUR resident specialist and NHS GP, Dr Zoe Williams, shares her expert advice.
Today, Dr Zoe helps a reader who has a red patch on the median lobe of the prostate.
1
Q) FOR several years I had some UTI symptoms and doctors thought it was prostatitis – inflammation of the prostate.
However, I had a cystoscopy in December and the urologist said there was a small red patch on the median lobe of the prostate.
At a second check on January 23, she said it had got bigger and booked me for a biopsy which is in about five weeks.
I asked her if she thought it might be cancer and she said, “I can’t say, but it shouldn’t be there”.
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A) A red patch indicates likely inflammation, of which there are several potential causes. I would say it’s likely that the biopsy is to both find out the cause and rule out cancer.
It’s worrying when the medical team is unable to tell you what they are looking for or how serious the potential diagnosis could be.
The urologist may have had statistics or could have told you if she’s seen cancer present this way before, based on her experience.
But would that have helped you? It still would have given you no indication as to how worried you should be.
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And, although easier said than done, there is no point worrying about something like this because it won’t change the outcome.
If the diagnosis is what you fear, you will inevitably worry at that time, so save yourself the stress now.
Imagine what you could be missing… and check your risk today
The fact you have had symptoms for years suggests the cause is unlikely to be cancer.
The possibility remains that your symptoms are unrelated to the red patch, which would mean that it is an incidental finding, which was found by chance.
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