Prostate Cancer Symptoms Include Feeling This Sensation While Urinating - International Business Times

KEY POINTS

• Prostate cancer is one of those diseases that affects a lot of men nowadays
• Health experts: Being able to detect the symptoms early will help in treating it
• One of the symptoms of the disease can be detected during urination

One of the most common types of cancer to affect men is prostate cancer. For the first time, it has overtaken the number of cases of breast cancer. The deadly ailment oftentimes affects men who are over 50 years old, with the risk of developing this disease increases with age.

The prostate is a gland the size of a walnut situated between the penis and the bladder. The urethra goes through the center of the prostate. It also secretes fluids that nourish and protect the sperm.

The Cause of Prostate Cancer

The exact cause of this deadly disease is not known. Risk factors that increase the chance of developing prostate cancer have, however, been identified. Aside from age, these risk factors include ethnicity, family history, and eating habits. It is still unclear, though, which of these risk factors can cause a prostate cell to turn cancerous.

frequent urination prostate cancer Photo: shutterbug75 - Pixabay

For cancer to advance, changes must happen in the chemicals that comprise the DNA, which compose the genes in the cell. The genes regulate how the cell functions. Cancer happens when some genes that either regulate the cell’s growth or death are affected, resulting in abnormal cell growth and likely death.

A Sign That Should Not Be Ignored

Feeling a burning sensation or pain while urinating may not be a common sign of prostate cancer but should not, however, be ignored. While such sensation may have been caused by other health conditions, it could also be due to the pressure of an oversized prostate gland pressing against the urethra. Prostate cancer causes this gland to grow big to the point of squeezing the urethra and the urinary bladder, thereby limiting the passageway of urine. The result is a burning, oftentimes painful, sensation.

Other Symptoms of Prostate Cancer

According to Cancer.Net, other signs and symptoms of this deadly disease include blood in the urine or seminal fluid, and the urge to urinate frequently, particularly during nighttime. Prostate cancer patients also report feeling pain or discomfort when sitting and experiencing erectile dysfunction. Many also have difficulty urinating and having a weak stream, as well as trouble in starting to pee. All of these symptoms are caused by an enlarged prostate.

Cancer.Net explained the other signs of prostate cancer: “The symptoms and signs of prostate cancer may include frequent urination, the urge to urinate frequently at night, blood in the urine, blood in the seminal fluid, new onset of erectile dysfunction and discomfort or pain when sitting, caused by having an enlarged prostate.”

There are instances when such symptoms are not caused by cancer at all but by less serious prostate conditions. If you start feeling these symptoms, it is always a good idea to have your doctor examine what is wrong. It may not be cancer, after all. If it is and you were able to catch it at an early stage, then your chances of having a successful treatment outcome can increase.