Key messages on the Prostate

What is the prostate?

• The prostate is only found in men. It is very important for a man's sex life, producing some of the fluid in semen. It is found below the bladder and is about the size of a walnut. It surrounds the tube that carries urine from the bladder

• When something goes wrong with the prostate, it can affect a man's sex life, his long term health and with prostate cancer can lead to death

What can go wrong with the prostate?

• Benign disease (Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia - BPH)-the prostate slowly gets bigger as men get older This can cause difficulty when passing urine as the growing prostate puts pressure on the tube that carries urine from the bladder. BPH is treatable and is rare in men under 50

• Prostatitis-an inflammation of the prostate gland that causes difficulty when passing urine. Prostatitis is treatable and can occur in men of any age

• Prostate cancer-a single cell in the prostate begins to multiply out . of control and forms a tumour. Some cells may break away and travel to other parts of the body, starting new tumours. Prostate cancer is treatable and can be cured in many cases. It is rare in men under 50 but gets more common as men get older

The symptoms of prostate disease are similar:

• Needing to urinate often, especially at night
• Difficulty in starting to urinate
• Straining to urinate or taking a long time to finish
• Pain when urinating or ejaculating

Other less common symptoms:

• Pain in lower back, hips or pelvis
• Blood in the urine (this is unusual)

However, these symptoms are often not cancer. Some prostate cancers grow slowly and may not cause problems. Some grow quickly and need early treatment. If you are worried about any of these symptoms, you should go and see your doctor.