Prostate cancer: symptoms, diagnosis and treatment
One in eight men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. It is the most common type of cancer to be diagnosed in men yet despite this, campaigns for routine screening and testing for younger men are still proving fruitless. The Secretary of State for Health has recently announced that the NHS will be reviewing its advice for prostate cancer. This comes following the sad news of Sir Chris Hoy’s terminal diagnosis and calls to lower the screening age for prostate cancer.
In raising awareness for Movember, the annual movement to raise money for men’s health, Kacie Ward, solicitor apprentice in our clinical negligence team, discusses the symptoms, current diagnosis and treatment options for prostate cancer.
What is prostate cancer?
The prostate is a small gland that is part of the male reproductive system. The prostate gland consists of connective and glandular tissues and sits at the base of the bladder and in front of the rectum.
Prostate cancer is the most common type of cancer in men. Most prostate cancers start in the outer gland cells of the prostate. Many of these cancers grow slowly however some can grow and spread more quickly, causing symptoms and requiring treatment.
Symptoms of prostate cancer?
As most prostate cancers start on the outer part of the prostate gland, they do not cause symptoms in the early stages. Symptoms often begin when the cancer grows big enough to press against the urethra, which carries urine through the prostate.
Examples of symptoms include:
- Increased frequency in passing urine, especially at night
- A feeling that your bladder isn’t empty
- Difficulty starting to urinate or emptying your bladder
- Blood in urine or semen
It should be noted that these symptoms do not always mean you have cancer, and can be caused by benign prostate enlargement, a condition that men develop as they get older.
If prostate cancer is advanced or metastatic, it means that it has spread to other parts of the body and typical symptoms of this include:
- Back or bone pain
- Tiredness
- Unexplained weight loss
Diagnosis
There is no definitive test for prostate cancer. If you are displaying any of the symptoms above, you should contact your GP who will assess your risk of cancer based on a number of factors including family history, age and results of a prostate examination.
A GP will also likely carry out Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) testing, which measures the amount of prostate specific antigen in your blood. A raised PSA may be a sign of prostate cancer in some people and will usually follow with referral to hospital for an MRI Scan of the prostate.
Under current NHS guidelines, anyone over the age of 50 can request a PSA test. This is not available for younger men, including those who may be at risk of developing prostate cancer due to family history.
In light of Sir Chris Hoy’s saddening terminal diagnosis, a recent announcement from the Secretary of State for Health has confirmed that the NHS will be launching a review on its advice for prostate cancer.
Treatment
Treatment for prostate cancer is dependent on which Cambridge Prognostic Group (CPG) the cancer falls within.
For lower-level localised prostate cancer, your doctor may recommend monitoring the cancer closely to see if it begins to grow, a process known as active surveillance. Alternative treatment options may include surgery and radiotherapy.
For higher level localised or locally advanced prostate cancer, treatment may be in the form of the above but may also include chemotherapy and hormone therapy.
Delayed diagnosis
Early detection and diagnosis of prostate cancer is likely to lead to a better chance of a successful outcome.
On average, almost 100% of men diagnosed with Stage 2 prostate cancer will survive their cancer for at least five years after diagnosis. This figure falls to 50% where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
At Morrish Solicitors we have considerable experience dealing with clinical negligence claims arising from a delay in diagnosis of cancer. If you or a loved one have not been treated in time or your GP failed to refer you for tests creating a life-threatening situation, we may be able to help you make a cancer negligence claim. Call 033 3344 9613 or email [email protected].
Author: Kacie Ward, clinical negligence.
