Ever pondered ‘Why Does Prostate Cancer Cause Frequent Urination’? The prostate, essential for semen production, can enlarge with age. When cancer begins here, it might spread, leading to metastatic stages. Early detection can slow its progression, sometimes subtly. Prostate support supplements can also play a role in optimal wellness. Learn more today!
Causes
Most prostate cancers develop slowly and do not show symptoms until they have reached advanced stages, often beginning in the outer part of the prostate gland. To cause urinary issues, they must become large enough to press on the tube that transports urine between bladder and penis (urethra) which can lead to pain, burning or urgency to pee and loss of control over urine flow as well as increasing your risk for urinary tract infections or blockage, both medical emergencies.
Signs of prostate cancer that affect urination include sudden urges or leakages before reaching the toilet (urgency), as well as weak urine flow or an urgent urge. Some men may even find blood in their urine or lose the ability to have erections – known as erectile dysfunction. Furthermore, cancerous growths could spread into bones causing back or hip pain.
Prostate cancer often presents itself with urinary symptoms in two ways. One method is when its growth expands enough to press on the urethra – this process is known as prostate enlargement and becomes increasingly common as people age. Regular screening tests allow physicians to monitor changes to your prostate and detect cancer early when treatment options may be more suitable.
Prostate cancer may also contribute to urinary symptoms when it spreads outside the prostate and into nearby organs like bladders, ureters and kidneys. This makes them more sensitive to hormone effects while increasing chances that cancer cells transform into forms more likely to spread throughout the body.
Men undergoing treatment for prostate cancer may experience urinary and erectile problems following surgery or radiation therapy due to nerve and muscle damage caused by surgery or radiation therapy treatments. There are steps they can take to alleviate such issues such as pelvic floor muscle exercises, bladder retraining training or taking medicines that help manage these complications.
Symptoms
Prostate cancer starts in the prostate gland, a walnut-sized organ located beneath the bladder that produces some of the semen fluid and contains cells that make sperm which mixes together with prostate fluid to form semen. Prostate cancer typically grows slowly without symptoms until it spreads to nearby tissues that cause erectile or bladder dysfunction or spreads to bones where it causes bone pain and weakness.
Some men do not experience prostate cancer symptoms at all, while most do. Common indicators include frequent and urgent need to urinate at nighttime, weak or interrupted urine flow and dysuria (pain upon urinating) along with blood in their urine or semen.
These symptoms resemble those associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). BPH occurs when the prostate, usually about the size of a walnut in younger men, becomes larger and exerts pressure on the urethra which slows or blocks urine flow.
Over time, symptoms may progressively worsen and may include pain in the back and pelvic area if the urethra becomes blocked or irritated, and may lead to urinary tract infection caused by bacteria or chronic bladder infection that doesn’t go away easily – known as bacterial prostatitis which gradually worsens over time and never goes away completely.
Your doctor will conduct an exam to assess your symptoms and conduct a prostate exam, taking samples for biopsy testing purposes as part of their exam process.
Results of a biopsy and other tests, such as PSA blood test and digital rectal examination can help establish the stage of prostate cancer. Understanding its stage can impact what treatment options might be needed; Gleason score 1-6 represents early-stage disease that remains localized within the prostate and does not spread beyond it.
Treatment
Men with prostate cancer may benefit from medical interventions that prevent or slow down their tumors from expanding further, as well as treatments to alleviate any associated symptoms such as incontinence and pain.
The prostate gland is part of the male reproductive system and sits beneath both the bladder (which collects and empties urine) and rectum (lower part of intestines). It measures roughly the size of a walnut, producing fluid which becomes part of semen. Furthermore, its location means its urethra (which transports urine from penis) passes directly through its center.
Treatment options for prostate cancer depend on its type and stage. Together with your healthcare team, you can decide the most effective option for you.
Before making your choice, investigate the qualifications and reputation of physicians available to treat you. Discussing it with others who have received similar treatments can provide valuable information about any adverse side effects they experienced from their procedures.
Based on your health care plan, there may be options for treatment that won’t cause serious side effects. Ask your health care team if there’s any way you could avoid surgery and radiation therapy altogether.
For early stage prostate cancer that hasn’t spread, your healthcare team may advise active surveillance or watchful waiting as an option. Under this option, regular PSA tests and digital rectal exams (DRE), biopsies as necessary and additional investigations may also take place; but there will not be routine surgery or radiation therapy treatment plans implemented immediately; instead they’ll discuss ways of alleviating your symptoms with you as necessary.
For men with higher-risk prostate cancer or disease that has spread, surgery, radiation therapy or another form of treatment may be required depending on your stage and grade (Gleason score).
Your surgeon may perform either open radical prostatectomy, wherein one long incision is made in your abdomen to extract your prostate gland, or laparoscopic surgery, where he uses small cameras and tools to extract it through several tiny incisions. Your decision could significantly impact recovery time as well as future health issues you experience.
Prevention
Early-stage prostate cancer rarely produces symptoms. But as it progresses and grows larger, pressure may build on the urethra and lead to difficulty starting or stopping urine streams (hesitancy) and incomplete emptying of bladder (dysuria). Some men also report rectal pain when sitting, abdominal bloat or hip discomfort and sudden weight loss as symptoms.
Urinary changes, including having to get up multiple times at night to urinate, could be a telltale sign of prostate cancer. It’s particularly crucial that if this problem arises for the first time or frequency increases exponentially that a doctor be seen immediately.
The prostate gland is a walnut-sized gland situated just beneath the bladder and in front of the rectum. It produces thick fluid which mixes with sperm to produce semen, as well as protecting the urethra that transports urine out of the bladder. Prostate cancer occurs when cells in the prostate start growing uncontrollably and multiplying unchecked; eventually this leads to abnormal cells forming into tumours which may either be benign or malignant.
As people age, their prostate gland may enlarge naturally as part of the natural aging process; this may lead to difficulty with urination; however, benign prostatic hyperplasia does not increase risk for cancer.
BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) occurs when cells that line the urethra expand more than expected, restricting urine flow or leading to difficulty when trying to urinate. To treat BPH effectively, medications can be taken that shrink your prostate size while relaxing bladder muscles; in severe cases surgery may also be performed to remove your prostate gland entirely.
If the urethra becomes completely blocked, it should be considered an emergency and treated immediately by medical personnel. They can often relieve it by inserting a catheter to drain off urine from its storage.
Men with prostate cancer frequently suffer urinary problems as an adverse reaction of their treatment, either directly due to the cancer itself or as a side effect from surgery or radiation therapy. This could be the result of cancer itself or of surgery complications or radiation therapy itself.
