In many cases, men are alerted to possible prostate problems by difficulties in passing urine. Men may experience some of the following symptoms:

• Having to rush to the toilet
• Problems emptying bladder
• Needing the toilet more often, particularly at night
• Pain on passing urine
• More rarely, there may be blood in the urine or semen
• Very rarely, there may be pain in the back, hips and pelvis

Men may also become aware of possible prostate problems following a PSA test.

It is important to note that although the symptoms listed above and a raised PSA can indicate prostate cancer, they are also symptoms of a non life-threatening disease called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia or BPH.

Equally, men with early stage prostate cancer may experience no symptoms whatsoever.

In order to make a timely and accurate diagnosis, a full range of assessments must be undertaken by a consultant urologist.

We run a one-stop prostate assessment clinic, offering the full range of diagnostic tests in a single hospital visit.

A raised PSA should not automatically lead to a biopsy. A consultant urologist will consider the PSA combined with a digital rectal examination, a measurement of prostate volume, family history, age and ethnicity of the patient. Our urologists may also carry out a new urine test, called a PCA3 test, in order to decide whether a biopsy is necessary.

We were one of the first clinics in the UK to introduce the PCA3 test which provides a more accurate risk assessment for prostate cancer than the PSA.

Our new generation prostate imaging and biopsy equipment allows for virtually pain free prostate assessment and biopsy.