Prostate cancer symptoms
“At Birmingham Prostate Clinic, we have the diagnostic technology and commitment to doing things differently. This means avoiding raising unnecessary anxiety about prostate cancer but quickly identifying serious, aggressive prostate cancer.”
Alan Doherty, consultant urologist, Birmingham Prostate Clinic
Very often, men do not experience any prostate cancer symptoms. Equally, it is very important to bear in mind that symptoms associated with prostate cancer are also likely to be caused by other conditions, particularly benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) also known as the enlarged prostate.
These are the symptoms you need to be aware of:
- blood in the urine
- frequent need to go to the toilet, particularly at night
- weak urine flow that stops and starts
- inability to urinate (urinary retention)
- persistent pain in the back, thighs and pelvis
- inability to get an erection (impotence)
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to seek a medical opinion. You are entitled to ask your GP for a PSA test. Your GP should then counsel you on the benefits and disadvantages of the PSA test.
You may also be assessed for benign prostatic hyperplasia and other conditions such as a urinary infection and prostatitis. We explain in more detail how we carry out assessments for prostate cancer in a separate section. There have been some very important new assessments for prostate cancer such as the PCA3 test and prostate MRI which enable us to understand your prostate cancer risk better.
We also welcome men who are concerned about prostate cancer symptoms and wish to seek a second opinion.