Why does it hurt when I pee?

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australian men, with about 25,000 men diagnosed each year, however it has one of the highest survival rates of all cancers, with 95 per cent of men likely to survive five years or more.

The prostate is a small gland, which is part of the male reproductive system, located below the bladder and in front of the rectum.

It surrounds the urethra, the passage that leads from the bladder, out through the penis through which urine and semen pass out of the body.

Different diseases can affect the prostate gland. These are more common as you age. About half of all men will have a prostate condition by the age of 70.

Prostate disease most commonly causes urinary symptoms such as difficulty urinating, the urge to urinate more often, painful urination, or feeling like you can’t fully empty your bladder.

Prostate cancer happens when abnormal cells develop and grow in the prostate.

These abnormal cells can continue to multiply in an uncontrolled way and sometimes spread outside the prostate into nearby or distant parts of the body. In most men, prostate cancer is a slow-growing disease.

If it stays inside the prostate gland and grows slowly, it may never cause a problem.

However, in some men the cancer may grow more quickly and can cause problems that can impact on their life expectancy.

There are two proven risk factors that may increase the chance of developing prostate cancer:

Age: The risk of developing prostate cancer increases with age with 1 in 7 men and by age 75.

Family history: You have a higher chance of developing prostate cancer if you have a father, brother or son who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

A family history of other cancers, like breast and ovarian cancers, may also increase your risk of getting prostate cancer.

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

In the early stages of prostate cancer, there may be no symptoms. In the later stages, symptoms might include:

• feeling the frequent or sudden need to urinate;
• finding it difficult to urinate (for example, trouble starting or not being able to urinate when the feeling is there or poor urine flow);
• discomfort when urinating;
• finding blood in urine or semen;
• pain in the lower back, upper thighs or hips. Many of these symptoms are common.

They may not mean you have prostate cancer. But if you are worried about your symptoms, it is important that you talk to your doctor.

A doctor will usually do a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test and may do a physical examination and/or organise an MRI scan to check the health of the prostate.

If these tests indicate a possibility of prostate cancer, you may need a biopsy.

For more information on prostate cancer visit: www.cancer.org.au/about-cancer/types-of-cancer/prostate-cancer