What is prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer occurs in the prostate gland. The prostate gland is the size of a walnut and sits under a man’s bladder, surrounding the tube which carries urine (wee) from the bladder out of the body. It’s function is to make the fluid that carries sperm.
Age causes the prostate to get bigger, but cancer develops in the prostate gland when cells start to grow in an uncontrolled way.
Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in the UK. 1 in 8 men in England will get prostate cancer – and 1 in 4 Black men. In England, more than 12,000 people die each year from prostate cancer.
But when diagnosed at its earliest stage, all (100%) people with prostate cancer will survive their disease for five years or more, compared with around 1 in 2 (49%) people when the disease is diagnosed at the latest stage.
Who can get prostate cancer?
Anyone born with a prostate gland is at risk of getting prostate cancer. Men over the age of 50+, and Black men aged 45+ have a higher risk.
Because Black men have double the risk of prostate cancer and develop it younger, we strongly recommend they talk to their GP about a regular PSA blood test from the age of 45. As a Black man, if you are worried about prostate cancer, you can speak to a GP from any age
If you are a trans woman, or a non-binary person assigned male at birth, or an intersex person with a prostate, you share the risk of having prostate cancer and should also get advice or ask for testing. This will mean early diagnosis, or reassurance that you don’t have cancer.
The risk of cancer in the prostate gland increases with the following:
- age – all people aged 50+ with a prostate, and Black people aged 45+ with a prostate
- people with a prostate whose father and/or brother had prostate cancer, or whose mother and/or sister had breast or ovarian cancers
What are the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer?
Cancer of the prostate may not be noticed until it has developed to where the cancer puts pressure on the urethra – the tube that carries pee from the bladder out of the penis. But this can also occur as your prostate enlarges as you get older, causing benign prostate enlargement – a non-cancerous condition.
However, if you have any of these symptoms, ask your GP for advice:
- a need to pee more frequently, especially at night
- the need to rush to the toilet
- trouble starting to pee
- feeling that your bladder has not completely emptied
- dribbling pee
- a sudden need to pee
- blood in your pee or semen
What should you do if you are at risk of prostate cancer?
There is currently no screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK and usually signs are not visible. Prostate Cancer UK now recommends that all Black men over the age of 45 speak to their GP about a PSA blood test. If you have a prostate, are 45/50+, and have a family history of prostate, or ovarian, or breast cancers, take the following action:
- do the Prostate Cancer UK 30 second online risk-checker
- contact your GP for advice about testing – early diagnosis is vital for successful treatment.
The most common tests for prostate cancer are:
If a relative or family friend is in a prostate cancer ‘at risk’ group, encourage them to take this action – tell them not to be embarrassed and to not ‘put it off’.
Prostate cancer is survivable if caught and treated early enough – early diagnosis saves lives!
Read about the TVCA awareness campaign from March 2023.
FP: 7/3/22
LU: 1/3/23