Any cancer diagnosis can leave you unsure of what to expect. However, prostate cancer, like many cancers, can be treated if detected early. It's important to talk to your health care provider about your risk and when you should get screened.
Our experts at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center will work with you if you do get a prostate cancer diagnosis. Learn more about the disease below.
What are the early signs of prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer doesn't typically have any early signs or symptoms. As the disease progresses, that's when you may notice symptoms. However, these can also be signs of other prostate conditions.
Common symptoms may include:
- Blood in your urine
- Burning or pain when urinating or ejaculating
- Erectile dysfunction
- Frequent urination, especially at night
- Pain when sitting
- Weak urine stream
See more about prostate cancer symptoms
What are the causes of prostate cancer?
It's unknown exactly what causes prostate cancer. There are some factors that can increase your risk of prostate cancer, include:
- Older age: Men over age 50 are at increased risk of prostate cancer. About 60% of men who are diagnosed with prostate cancer are over age 65.
- Veterans exposed to Agent Orange: Military men who were exposed to this chemical used in the Vietnam War are at higher risk of prostate cancer.
- Family history: If you have a close relative who had prostate cancer, you're more likely to develop it.
- Geography: The disease is more common in North America and northern Europe. It's also on the rise in Asia.
- Race: Black men are more commonly diagnosed with prostate cancer than white men.
- Weight: Being overweight or less active may increase your risk for prostate cancer. More research is ongoing to understand this link.
Learn more about prostate cancer causes and risk factors
What are the stages of prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is described in several clinical stages.
- T1: The tumor can't be felt during a digital rectal exam (DRE) or seen during imaging, like a CT scan. It may be accidentally discovered during surgery. It can also be found during a biopsy due to elevated prostate-specific antigen levels (high levels of protein made by your prostate).
- T2: The tumor can be felt during a DRE and may be seen on imaging. It is usually confined to just the prostate. The tumor may be present in one side or both sides of the prostate.
- T3: The tumor has spread outside the prostate, possibly into the seminal vesicles (located right above the prostate).
- T4: The tumor has grown into other areas, aside from the seminal vesicles. This could include the rectum or bladder.
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How do you screen for prostate cancer?
There are several ways to test for and diagnosis prostate cancer. Your health care provider may suggest one of the following:
- Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test: This is a blood test that checks for unusually high levels of a protein made by your prostate. A PSA test is one of the most common ways to diagnose prostate cancer.
- Digital rectal exam: Often called a DRE, this screening test involves your physician feeling your prostate through your rectum. They check for bumps and other abnormalities. A DRE is another common test to check for prostate cancer.
- Biopsy: A health care provider will take a small piece of tissue from your prostate gland during an ultrasound that's done through your rectum. The sample is then examined under a microscope to check for cancer cells.
Find out more about how we diagnose prostate cancer
When should you get tested for prostate cancer?
All men should talk to their health care provider about their risk and when to get tested for prostate cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends talk to your provider if you are:
- Age 50 and at average risk for prostate cancer.
- Age 45 and at high risk for prostate cancer, including if you are a Black man or have an immediate relative diagnosed with prostate cancer younger than 65.
- Age 40 and at an even higher risk for prostate cancer, including if you have more than one immediate relative who had prostate cancer younger than 65.
If your health care provider recommends a prostate cancer screening and no cancer is found, the following are recommended: - Men with a PSA level of less than 2.5 ng/mL may be retested every two years.
- Men with a PSA level of 2.5 ng/mL or higher should be rested every year.
Men with a life expectancy of less than 10 years may not be offered prostate cancer screening, according to the American Cancer Society. This is because prostate cancer often grows slowly, and screening won't likely benefit them. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force also does not recommend PSA tests for men ages 70 and older.
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What's the most popular treatment for prostate cancer?
Prostate cancer is very treatable when diagnosed early. There are several treatments for prostate cancer, including:
- Prostate cancer surgery: This can cure early stage prostate cancers. At UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, we specialize in open and minimally invasive surgery to remove the prostate gland. This is known as a prostatectomy. Our surgeons regularly perform robotic-assisted prostatectomies.
- Hormone therapy: This involves drugs that reduce the amount of testosterone in your body. Testosterone helps prostate cancer cells grow, so hormone therapy can help prevent the disease from coming back. Hormone therapy is usually done along with surgery or radiation therapy.
- Radiation therapy: This uses high-energy radiation to kill cancer cells. Radiation therapy may be used alone or after prostate surgery.
At UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, we partner with you to customize your prostate cancer treatment to your needs. We discuss the risks and benefits of each treatment to determine what's best for you.
Explore our care for prostate cancer
What is the life expectancy of someone with prostate cancer?
Life expectancy for men with prostate cancer that hasn't spread outside the prostate or has spread near the prostate is greater than 99% of living at least 5 years. If the cancer has spread to distant organs, survival rate is 37% of living at least 5 years, according to the American Cancer Society.
See why later-stage prostate cancer diagnoses are so common in men
At what stage is prostate cancer not curable?
Typically, late stage T4 prostate cancer has spread to organs further away from the prostate, such as the bones. Most cancers in stage T4B (or stage IVB) can't be cured. However, they are treatable. Treatments are meant to keep the cancer under control as long as possible and to improve your quality of life.
Treatments at this stage may include hormone therapy, surgery, observation to keep symptoms at bay, or participation in a clinical trial for new treatments.
Learn about 5 health screenings men shouldn't put off
This blog was medically reviewed by Marc Dall'Era, chair of the Department of Urologic Surgery.
