Prostate cancer clinical picture and course

Prostate cancer symptoms often occur late when the tumor has been a certain size.
In early stages of prostate cancer is often not noticed. For this reason, early diagnosis is so important. The reason for the late appearance of symptoms is that the cancer in the outer region of the prostate ("envelope") which is the farthest away from the urethra. Only when growth of the tissue and the inner region of the prostate ("core") is concerned, the urethra is narrowed, and it comes to typical complaints:

    excessive urination
    incomplete bladder emptying
    Frequent urination
    weak urinary stream
    Urinary retention
    Hydronephrosis


Complaints can always check by a doctor.
These symptoms can also occur in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), which affects many men at older ages. Therefore is necessary in the event of complaints described a thorough medical examination to determine what caused the symptoms.


Common symptoms may also indicate cancer.
At a more advanced disease also occur even complaints that are not on the prostate are limited, but represent common symptoms of cancer. These include general weakness and fatigue, persistent fatigue, loss of power or weight loss. However, these symptoms can occur in other diseases and in healthy individuals and are not in themselves cause for concern.


Metastases, depending on where they absiedeln to cause a wide range of ailments.
In the course of the disease can also be added symptoms that are attributable to the growth of the tumor and the formation of "daughter tumors" (metastasis) to lymph nodes or other organs. So blood in the urine and pain in the prostate due to the increased size of the tumor in the prostate. May grow into the tumor into surrounding tissue or surrounding organs. In prostate cancer metastases to settle mainly in the area from the skeleton, eg in the spine or the pelvic bone. Accordingly, also symptoms that are attributed to the involvement of these bones. For example, bone pain or noticed one breaks through the growth of metastases already weakened bones due to a slight overload or injury. When the spine is affected, metastases can also press on the spinal column lying in the spinal cord or the nerves springing from the spinal roots. In this way, may also have other symptoms, such as Pain in the back (possibly radiating to arms or legs), paralysis, sensory loss, balance and gait disorders, and loss of control over bladder and rectum with unintentional discharge of urine or stool.


The psychological strain is often considerable.
Besides the physical discomfort many patients feel constrained by declining performance, fatigue, etc. in their everyday work and leisure activities. Occasionally arise feelings of inferiority or of dependence on others is a (and thus also the feeling of falling for this load). Here, a physiotherapy treatment for physical strength and frank discussions with family and friends can be helpful. Also, medical and psychological support can be claimed to deal with the emotional stress better.

As a result of surgery, there may be occasional erectile dysfunction, which affects your self confidence and under circumstances, the partnership further. Often it is the treating urologist, however, possible therapeutic remedy (see "Erectile dysfunction").