GMB: Jimmy Tarbuck confirms he has prostate cancer
When a cancerous mass grows in the prostate gland, it tends to start in the outer part, so more often than not, a person with the disease doesn’t have any symptoms. However, signs of the disease can appear. One such symptom, confirmed by the charity Cancer Research UK, is nocturia. This is getting up to urinate during the night, meaning your sleep is interrupted.
Other symptoms of prostate cancer can include passing urine more often in general and hesitancy.
Hesitancy involves straining to empty your bladder, and you may also have a weaker urine flow or feel as though you’ve not emptied your bladder properly.
There may be a sense of urgency when you feel a sudden need to urinate, and any blood in your urine or semen could be a warning sign of the condition.
These symptoms of prostate cancer could also be a sign of an enlarged prostate.
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An enlarged prostate is normal in older age, but there could still be cancer cells in the gland that aren’t causing any symptoms.
Dr Vincent Gnanapragasam explained the prostate “sits between the bladder and the urethra”.
He continued: “The prostate produces fluid that washes semen and keeps the sperm healthy for successful fertilisation.”
As for risk, Dr Gnanapragasam said: “The older you are the more likely you are to get prostate cancer.”
If you’re concerned about prostate cancer, do discuss your fears with your GP.
Tests may involve a rectal examination, which may be uncomfortable, but only lasts for a few minutes.
The doctor might put a gloved finger in the back passage to check for abnormal signs, such as a lumpy, hard prostate.
You can ask for a PSA blood test, but this test can be unreliable as PSA levels may be high due to other health conditions.
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“A PSA test on its own doesn’t normally diagnose prostate cancer,” said Cancer Research UK.
The charity reported that almost 80 out of 100 people diagnosed with prostate cancer will survive their cancer for 10 years or more.
“Your outlook depends on the stage of the cancer when it was diagnosed. This means how big it is and whether it has spread,” elaborated the charity.
Cancer stages
Stage one – the cancer is in only half of one side of the prostate, or less, and it’s contained in the prostate.
Stage two – the cancer is in more than half of one side of the prostate, but is still contained within the prostate gland.
Stage three – this means the cancer has broken through the covering (capsule) of the prostate gland.
Stage four can mean different things, such as:
- The cancer has spread into nearby body organs, such as the back passage or bladder
- The cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes
- The cancer has spread to other parts of the body outside the pelvis, such as the lungs or liver
Treatments include surgery, external radiotherapy, cryotherapy – the treatment plan will be unique to each individual.
If prostate cancer returns after cancer treatment, further treatment will consider factors such as:
- The treatment you have already had
- Your general health
- Where your cancer is
- If it has spread to other parts of your body
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