The symptoms are more or less similar to the ones found in benign prostatic hypertrophy, and in the cancer’s fist phase the symptoms can easily be overlooked. Gradually, as the cancer tissue squeezes the urethra more and more, the symptoms worsen. These symptoms are:
- Sudden urge to urinate
- Frequent urination
- Urinary incontinence
- Low urine flow
Surer signs of prostate cancer are:
- Blood in the urine, tiredness and weight loss
- Pain
- Potency problems
Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is an enzyme (protein) in the blood which is produced by the prostate gland and regulated by the sex hormone testosterone. PSA is being used to diagnose tissue changes of the prostate gland. The blood level of PSA is increased in men who have prostate cancer, but not all men with increased PSA levels have cancer.
Risk factors
Heredity: If there have been cases of prostate cancer in your close family, your risk of developing the diseases is increased 2 - 4 times.
- Gonorrhea: Statistic material indicates that this veneral disease increases the risk of developing prostate cancer later in life.
- Many sexual partners: If you have had more than 25 sexual partners, your risk of developing prostate cancer is increased more than 2.5 times compared to men with only a few sexual partners.
- Overweight: Being overweight seems to increase the risk of dying from the disease.
- A high blood insulin level: Research in the field of diabetes shows that a generally low level of insulin reduces the risk of developing prostate cancer.
- Pesticides: Studies show a connection between handling of pesticides and the risk of developing prostate cancer among farmers.
- Calcium: Research indicates that a low intake of calcium in the early stages of prostate cancer can minimize the risk of the cancer developing and some doctors advice against calcium from dairy products because of the suspicion that it might be involved in the development of prostate cancer.
- Consuming too many Omega-6 fatty acids in relation to Omega-3 fatty acids is under suspicion from posing a risk. This is thought to be because of the content of the Omega-6 fatty acid arachidon acid, which is also found in animal fat.
However, a large population study indicates that the risk of developing prostate cancer is reduced in men who have frequent ejaculations(>21 times a month).
