Myths about Prostate Cancer all Men should know

Myth: Only older men get prostate cancer:

It’s true that your risk of prostate cancer increases as you get older, it’s also true most men are diagnosed after 65 years old.

Some of the symptoms of prostate cancer are:

• You’ve difficulty urinating
• Blood drops in your urine
• Impotency
• Body aches
• Loss of appetite

Myth: No prostate cancer symptoms means no cancer:

Not necessarily when it comes to your prostate, a small, walnut-shaped gland whose job is to produce fluid that nourishes sperms. No symptoms may just mean the cancer is in its early stages. Signs of prostate cancer usually arise after it progresses, including problems in urinating, such as slow and weak flow, blood drops in the urine, pain in the pelvic area. Of course, these symptoms may also be caused by a list of other things that don’t include cancer.

Myth: No one in my family has prostate cancer, so I’m safe:

It’s likely that your genes will play a role. If your father has prostate cancer, you’re twice as likely to develop it, your brother, three times as likely. In that case, discuss possible screening tests with the urologist.

Myth: A high PSA score means prostate cancer:

Some prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in your blood is normal. High levels, however, or inflammation in your prostate, the gland may get enlarged, or it may (possibly) indicate cancer.

Myth: Prostate cancer isn’t that serious:

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, after lung cancer. It’s usually slow-growing cancer that at least at first, stays confined to the gland. For men diagnosed with very early-stage prostate cancer, treatment may not be necessary right away, or at all, depending on the type of cancer. Instead, you may be asked to be under supervision for several years.

At NU Hospitals, you’ll be treated by some of the best urologist specialists in Bangalore.