Prostate Cancer Symptoms:  What Will You Notice First

Unfortunately, the first symptoms of prostate cancer will probably not to be noticed.  In fact, many individuals will have very few systems at an early stage.  The cancer will continue to worsen in most cases without noticeable symptoms. 

Often, it is caught when an elevated PSA is found during a standard routine checkup by your doctor.  Yet, there are a variety of symptoms to be aware of about prostate cancer. 

In cases where there are symptoms of prostate cancer, the symptoms can be similar to other conditions. 

These include the following symptoms:

• A need to urinate more often than usual.
• A difficulty with maintaining a steady stream of urine, where it starts and stops.
• Pain or difficulty starting to urinate
• A need to urinate during the night (more so than normal)
• Blood found in urine
• Pain when urinating.

On the sexual side there are also symptoms of prostate cancer. 

These include:

• Difficulty with getting and maintaining an erection.
• Ejaculation that is painful.

While these are the symptoms that may be noticeable during the first stages of prostate cancer, there are others that happen at later stages as well. 

These include the following.

• Bone pain is the most common of these symptoms.  It is usually pain in the spinal part of the body called the vertebrae.  Pain can also be felt in the pelvis as well as in the ribs. 

Unfortunately because the prostate is a hormonal organ, it tends to send the cancer cells to other parts of the body. Spread to the bones is a classic symptom.

• If the prostate cancer has spread to the spine, it can cause pain in the spinal cord as it eventually compresses the spinal cord. This too can cause additional symptoms including weakness in the legs and problems with fecal incontinence as well as urinary problems.

Prostate cancer symptoms often appear as signs and symptoms of other problems and are often ignored or dismissed by the individuals concerned. 

Anyone facing any of the above symptoms should speak with their doctor as soon as possible about them.