Symptoms of Prostate Cancer

Prostate Cancer, which afflicts 70 percent of men over the age of 65 in America, is a condition of the prostate gland that causes it to grow abnormally and uncontrollably. A prostate gland that has cancerous cell can grow slowly over time, making it undetectable without an examination. Symptoms may not show for years, but there are waning signs, symptoms that may alert you to the disease.

First let's talk about what the prostate is and where in the male body it's located. The prostate glad is about the size of a walnut in a healthy male and is located just under the bladder and surrounds the urethra. It has several function foremost it make a whitish fluid that makes up a portion of the seminal fluid that passes through the urethra during ejaculation, it also indirectly aids in urinating.

There are symptoms that can be a clue to detecting prostate cancer early. If you find yourself having to go to the bathroom more than usual, especially at night, and has been ongoing, this could be early sign of prostate cancer. Just think back to a time when you didn't have to get up so often to go to the bathroom, if you can remember sleeping through the night, and now you find yourself sleeping only a few hours before you have to make another trip to the head, your body may sending you a sign.

Because the prostate surround the urethra, most of the early signs may show when urinating, like not being able to go and taking a few minutes before you can urinate, you may also find that it is painful to urinate, like a burning sensation or having to force yourself to go even if you feel that your bladder is full, these are all early warning signs of Prostate Cancer.

A Digital Rectal Examination is a reliable way your doctor can detect an abnormal prostate. Your physician will insert his finger into the rectum to feel for size and abnormalities of the prostate, a relatively painless procedure. Okay, not painful at all, but it may be a bit uncomfortable for most, graciously; it's over in seconds, a minor discomfort for such a dangerous disease that goes needlessly undetected before showing symptoms.

Being a guy, I know that we come hard wired with a protocol that makes most of us shun away from the idea of a rectal exam, but with a quick exam all the discomfort can be caught early and treatment started before the symptom become much worse, and they will become much worse. A rectal exam is no more uncomfortable or embarrassing than the examination you had to play high school sports

So for all you guys out there who are finding themselves falling into an older demographic where the concerns of prostate cancer are real, take a moment and get yourself checked out, you will be thankful that you did.