11 symptoms of prostate cancer (with online test)

The main symptoms of prostate cancer are frequent urge to urinate, weak stream of urine, pain when urinating, painful ejaculation, difficulty maintaining an erection, pain in the testicle region or a feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder, even after urinating.

Prostate cancer develops slowly and in most cases no symptoms are noticed in the early stages of the disease. In more advanced stages, when the tumor spreads to other organs, such as lymph nodes, bones, liver, lungs, bladder or intestines, symptoms related to the affected organ may appear.

11 symptoms of prostate cancer

The main symptoms of prostate cancer are:

1. Frequent urge to urinate;
2. Difficulty starting to urinate;
3. Very weak urine stream;
4. Waking up several times a night to urinate;
5. Pain when urinating and/or painful ejaculation;
6. Blood in urine or semen;
7. Difficulty maintaining an erection;
8. Presence of blood in semen or urine;
9. Pain in the testicle region;
10. Urgency to urinate;
11. Feeling of incomplete emptying of the bladder, even after urinating.

At an early stage, prostate cancer may not cause symptoms, however, symptoms may appear as the tumor grows or when it is at a more advanced stage.

Furthermore, if the cancer has spread to other areas of the body, it is also common for other less specific symptoms to occur, such as excessive tiredness, weight loss for no apparent reason, back or bone pain, weakness in the legs, coughing or coughing. in the region close to the prostate.

Therefore, it is important for men to consult a urologist from the age of 50 or from the age of 45 if they have a family history of prostate cancer, to carry out preventive exams and detect prostate cancer early, increasing the chances of a cure. Check out the main exams that evaluate the prostate.

Online symptom test

To know if there is a risk of having a prostate problem, it is important to pay attention to symptoms such as:

The symptom test is a tool that only serves as guidance, not serving as a diagnosis or replacing a consultation with a urologist.

How to confirm the diagnosis

The diagnosis of prostate cancer is made by a urologist through the evaluation of symptoms, health history and history of prostate cancer in the family, in addition to a digital rectal examination and a PSA blood test.

If during the rectal exam the doctor palpates a hard nodule or if the PSA blood test is very abnormal, it is recommended that a prostate biopsy be performed, in which small pieces of the prostate are removed and then analyzed in the laboratory, It is then possible to check whether the change is benign or malignant and initiate the most appropriate treatment, if necessary. Understand how a biopsy is performed and when it is indicated.

If prostate cancer is confirmed, the urologist must refer the man to an oncologist to begin treatment.

Prostate cancer stages

It is also important to identify the stage of prostate cancer so that the best treatment can be initiated, which is done through imaging tests and the results of the PSA test and prostate biopsy.

The following table indicates the main stages of prostate cancer and their characteristics:

How the treatment is carried out

Prostate cancer treatment is carried out by an oncologist or uro-oncologist and varies according to the stage of the tumor.

Thus, surgery to remove the prostate, called prostatectomy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy or ablative therapy may be indicated. See the main treatments for prostate cancer.