Aches And Pains That Could Signal Prostate Cancer
9/6/2022
Dr. Nebasi Valentine, Aspirus Family Medicine
Prostate cancer is
the second leading cause of cancer deaths among men in the United States,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The good
news is it has one of the highest survival rates of any type of cancer due to
the slow speed in which it grows and spreads, as well as early detection.
According to the American
Cancer Society (ACS), nearly 270,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate
cancer this year, but many never experience symptoms and, without screening,
would never know they had the disease.
Symptoms
For men who do
experience symptoms, they may include:
- Problems urinating,
including a slow or weak urinary stream or the need to urinate more often,
especially at night
- Blood in the urine
or semen
- Trouble getting an
erection (erectile dysfunction or ED)
- Pain in the hips,
back (spine), chest (ribs), or other areas from cancer that has spread to bones
- Weakness or numbness
in the legs or feet, or even loss of bladder or bowel control from cancer
pressing on the spinal cord
“It’s common to
experience aches after a day of yard work or an intense workout, but prolonged
pain in the hips and groin could be a sign of something more serious,” says Dr.
Nebasi Valantine, family medicine physician with Aspirus. “Men should talk with
their provider about having a prostate cancer screening if they are
experiencing prolonged pain or stiffness in the lower back, achy thighs or
hips, or discomfort while sitting.”
Screening
Aspirus Health Screening Guidelines recommend
that men aged 50 and older get screened annually for prostate cancer.
The most common
screening tool for prostate cancer is the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.
This blood test measures the presence of PSA circulating in the bloodstream and
is usually the first step in any prostate cancer diagnosis. A digital rectal exam
is less effective than the PSA blood test in finding prostate cancer, but it
can sometimes find cancers in men with normal PSA levels. Therefore, it may be
included as a part of prostate cancer screening.
Risk Factors
ACS statistics show
that the chance of having prostate cancer rises rapidly after age 50 and more
than half of prostate cancer cases are found in men older than 65.
Those with the
highest risk of developing the deadly disease are African American men, who are
more than twice as likely to die of prostate cancer as all other men. Other
major risk factors for developing prostate cancer include having a father or
brother with prostate cancer and/or an unhealthy diet. In fact, studies
indicate that men who eat a lot of high-fat dairy products appear to have a
slightly higher chance of developing prostate cancer.
Take the time to
think about getting screened and talk with your provider to review available
information on prostate cancer screenings. For more information about advanced
treatments and technology available at Aspirus, visit www.aspirus.org/cancer-treatments-technology.
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