Do you have trouble urinating? Maintaining an erection? These are some of the signs of prostate cancer.
Trouble is, many men won’t see a doctor unless they’re bleeding from the gut.
More than 200,000 American men get a prostate cancer diagnosis every year; nearly 30,000 die.
“Virtually every guy over 70 has some prostatic enlargement,” says Edward Geehr, Lifescript’s chief medical officer.
"It's a troublesome gland and, for many men, a royal pain," says Janet Farrar Worthington, co-author of The Prostate: A Guide for Men and the Women Who Love Them (Grand Central Publishing) and Dr. Patrick Walsh's Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer (Wellness Central).
It’s an effort that pays off, since the key to surviving prostate cancer is to catch it early.
“If men are going to reduce their preventable risks, they’ve got to get to the doctor sooner rather than later,” says Will Courtenay, Ph.D., an internationally recognized psychotherapist and author of Making Health Manly: Social Marketing and Men's Health (The Journal of Men’s Health).
Common symptoms include trouble urinating, difficulty getting an erection, painful ejaculation, blood in urine or semen, or pain or stiffness in his hips, lower back or upper thighs.
But chances are your man may not experience any of these because prostate cancer often shows no signs.
Doctors use two tests to detect the disease: a digital rectal exam and a blood screening that detects a substance made by the gland called prostate-specific antigen. That’s why routine screenings are important.
"The greatest blessing of early detection is the gift of time," Worthington says. "Men are being diagnosed an average of five years earlier than they used to be."
Also, learn who’s at risk for prostate cancer, when to undergo screening and the dietary and lifestyle changes that can save your life.
Here are 11 risk factors you both should know:
1. Your African-American.
Black men have the highest rate of prostate cancer diagnosis and death in the world, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
"Worse, black men seem to get more severe forms, are more likely to have the cancer come back after treatment and are more likely to die of this disease," Worthington says. She recommends tests every year, starting at age 40.
Caucasians have the second-highest rate of diagnosis and death; Asian/Pacific Islanders have the lowest death rate.
2. Your family has a history of prostate cancer.
You're twice as likely to get the disease if you have one first-degree relative — father, brother, son — with a history of it, according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.
The risk goes up if more relatives are affected, Worthington says.
It may be as high as 50% if three family members (father and two brothers, for example) have had it, if it occurs in three generations (grandfather, father, son) or if two relatives developed it younger than 55 years old.
And don’t forget the women in his family.
"Prostate cancer risk can be inherited from the mother as well," she says. So ask about your maternal family history.
3. Your over 50 years old.
The older you are, the higher his risk: "In men 40-49, the risk of developing prostate cancer is one in 50," Worthington says. From 60-79, it's one in seven.
But don't put off tests until you are blowing out 60 candles on his birthday cake.
"Prostate cancer screening should start at age 40," Worthington says.
4. Your overweight.
Excessive weight raises prostate cancer risk, according to many studies.
In fact, when you pack on the pounds makes a difference, according to a University of Hawaii study published in June’s Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Researchers found that Caucasian men who put on extra weight in their 20s and 30s faced a higher risk.
Another study by the American Cancer Society found that men with a BMI greater than 30 were 20%-25% more likely to die of prostate cancer than thinner men, Worthington says.
Experts believe that too much body fat throws off the body’s normal production of insulin and testosterone, which may fuel growth of prostate cancer cells.
But that’s not your only worry: Too much belly fat and a high-fat diet can also raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
5. You eat too much fat.
Body fat isn’t the only kind to worry about; the fat you consumes makes a difference too.
"Dietary fat may not only help cause prostate cancer, but also may affect the way it progresses – how fast cancer cells proliferate, their ability to spread and the body's ability to fight off this invasion," Worthington says.
Foods high in saturated fats, especially from animal products (red meat and dairy), appear to be the worst dietary trigger for prostate cancer, Worthington says.
6. You smoke.
Smoking cigarettes gives cancer cells a comfy place to grow, Worthington says.
Research doesn’t yet show that smoking causes prostate cancer, but it has proven that a nicotine habit can help it grow faster and more aggressively.
Stop smoking now, Worthington advises.
7. You have urinary troubles.
“If you get up frequently in the middle of the night to urinate, you could have problems with your prostate,” Courtenay says.
This is because the urethra, the tube that carries urine and semen, runs right through the middle of the prostate like a straw, Worthington says.
Urinary troubles often signal benign prostatic hyperplasia, a non-cancerous enlargement of the gland that’s common in men older than 40.
Still, any changes in urination – including pain, weak flow, difficulty starting or stopping, frequent nighttime urination, or blood in the urine or semen – should be evaluated by a doctor.
8. You have pain with bowel movements.
Because the prostate lives on the other side of the rectal wall, prostate enlargement or cancer can often cause pain during a bowel movement. This, along with a bloody stool, may also be a symptom of colorectal cancer.
9. Complain of pain or stiffness in his hips, lower back or upper thighs.
Sure, it could be a general ache or pain, but it may also point to prostate cancer that has spread beyond the gland and into surrounding areas.
10. You have swollen legs.
This indicates that the cancer has spread into nearby pelvic lymph nodes. If you present with any of the above symptoms, schedule a doctor's visit right away.
11. You have/had an STD.
If you have a common STD, Trichomonas vaginalis, you are 2.7 times more likely to develop the most fatal form of prostate cancer, according to a study reported in the Journal of the American Cancer Institute in June.
Trichomonas is curable and treatable with antibiotics.
The test, a simple blood diagnostic, checks for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a chemical made by the prostate that shows up in the bloodstream. Cancer tumors can boost the normal levels of PSA. While the PSA test is widely used, its effectiveness at detecting cancer has also led to more men getting treated for tumors that are growing so slowly that they actually didn’t require medical attention.
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