Prostate Cancer | Prostate Cancer Symptoms | MedlinePlus

Prostate Cancer | Prostate Cancer Symptoms | MedlinePlus

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

• After chemotherapy - discharge
• Cryotherapy for prostate cancer
• Digital rectal exam
• Gleason grading system
• Hormone therapy for prostate cancer
• Pelvic (between the hips) radiation - discharge
• Pelvic CT scan
• Pelvis MRI scan
• Prostate brachytherapy
• Prostate brachytherapy - discharge

Related Health Topics

• Prostate Cancer Screening
• Prostate Diseases

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Prostate Cancer is theNational Cancer Institute

Other Languages

Find health information in languages other than English on Prostate Cancer

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New on the MedlinePlus Prostate Cancer page:

Tumor Marker Tests

08/23/2018 02:26 PM EDT

Source: National Library of Medicine - 

Summary

The prostate is the gland below a man's bladder that produces fluid for semen. Prostate cancer is common among older men. It is rare in men younger than 40. Risk factors for developing prostate cancer include being over 65 years of age, family history, and being African-American.

Symptoms of prostate cancer may include

• Problems passing urine, such as pain, difficulty starting or stopping the stream, or dribbling
• Low back pain
• Pain with ejaculation

To diagnose prostate cancer, you doctor may do a digital rectal exam to feel the prostate for lumps or anything unusual. You may also get a blood test for prostate-specific antigen (PSA). These tests are also used in prostate cancer screening, which looks for cancer before you have symptoms. If your results are abnormal, you may need more tests, such as an ultrasound, MRI, or biopsy.

Treatment often depends on the stage of the cancer. How fast the cancer grows and how different it is from surrounding tissue helps determine the stage. Men with prostate cancer have many treatment options. The treatment that's best for one man may not be best for another. The options include watchful waiting, surgery, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and chemotherapy. You may have a combination of treatments.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Start Here

• General Information about Prostate Cancer  (National Cancer Institute)Also in Spanish
• Prostate Cancer (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Prostate Cancer: Symptoms, Tests, and Treatment (Food and Drug Administration)
• What is Prostate Cancer? (American Cancer Society)Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Prostate Cancer Symptoms (Prostate Cancer Foundation)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Can Prostate Cancer Be Found Early? (American Cancer Society)Also in Spanish
• Digital Rectal Exam (DRE) (American Society of Clinical Oncology)Also in Spanish
• Medical Tests for Prostate Problems (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• MRI of the Prostate (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)Also in Spanish
• Prostate Cancer Screening: MedlinePlus Health Topic  (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish
• Prostate Ultrasound  (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)Also in Spanish
• Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test  (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish
• Stages of Prostate Cancer  (National Cancer Institute)Also in Spanish
•  Tumor Marker Tests  (National Library of Medicine)Also in Spanish
• Ultrasound- and MRI-Guided Prostate Biopsy(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)Also in Spanish
• Understanding Prostate Cancer: Newly Diagnosed (Prostate Cancer Foundation)

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Do We Know What Causes Prostate Cancer? (American Cancer Society)Also in Spanish
• Prostate Cancer Prevention  (National Cancer Institute)Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Drugs Approved for Prostate Cancer  (National Cancer Institute)
• Expectant Management (Watchful Waiting) and Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer(American Cancer Society)Also in Spanish
• Hormone Therapy for Prostate Cancer  (National Cancer Institute)Also in Spanish
• PC-SPES (PDQ)  (National Cancer Institute)
• Prostate Cancer (Radiation Therapy)(American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America)Also in Spanish
• Prostatectomy - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Treatment Choices for Men with Early-Stage Prostate Cancer  (National Cancer Institute)
• Treatment Option Overview (Prostate Cancer)  (National Cancer Institute)Also in Spanish
• Treatment Options by Stage (Prostate Cancer)  (National Cancer Institute)Also in Spanish
• Vaccine Treatment for Prostate Cancer (American Cancer Society)Also in Spanish

Living With

• Preventing and Treating Prostate Cancer Spread to Bone (American Cancer Society)Also in Spanish
• Side Effects of Chemotherapy (Prostate Cancer Foundation)
• Side Effects of Hormone Therapy (Prostate Cancer Foundation)

Related Issues

• After Treatment: Living as a Prostate Cancer Survivor (American Cancer Society)Also in Spanish
• Bowel Dysfunction (Prostate Cancer Foundation)
• Erectile Dysfunction (Prostate Cancer Foundation)
• How Will Cancer Affect My Sex Life? (American Cancer Society)Also in Spanish
• Living with Prostate Cancer (American Cancer Society)
• Urinary Dysfunction (Prostate Cancer Foundation)
• What Prostate Cancer Survivors Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Genetics

• Genetics Home Reference: prostate cancer  (National Library of Medicine)

Health Check Tools

• Treating Localized Prostate Cancer (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)

Videos and Tutorials

• Robot Assisted Prostatectomy  (BroadcastMed) - Baptist Health South Florida, Miami, FL, 02/03/2014
• Robotic Prostatectomy  (BroadcastMed) - St. Francis Hospital, Greenville, SC, 04/10/2013

Statistics and Research

• Cancer of the Prostate  (National Cancer Institute)
• FastStats: Prostate Disease (National Center for Health Statistics)
• FDA Approves Apalutamide for Some Men with Prostate Cancer (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Molecular Switch Links High-Fat Diet to Prostate Cancer Metastasis  (National Cancer Institute)
• Prostate Cancer FAQs (Prostate Cancer Foundation)
• Prostate Cancer Rates by Race and Ethnicity (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)Also in Spanish
• Take with Food: Study Tests Lowering Dose of Prostate Cancer Drug  (National Cancer Institute)
• What Are the Key Statistics for Prostate Cancer? (American Cancer Society)Also in Spanish
• What's New in Prostate Cancer Research and Treatment? (American Cancer Society)Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Prostatic Neoplasms  (National Institutes of Health)

Journal ArticlesReferences and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Advances in Urologic Imaging: Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen Ligand PET Imaging. 
• Article: Imaging of Prostate Cancer Using Fluciclovine. 
• Article: Imaging of Prostate Cancer Using 11C-Choline PET/Computed Tomography. 
• Prostate Cancer -- see more articles 

Reference Desk

• About the Prostate (Prostate Cancer Foundation)
• Prostate Cancer Foundation News (Prostate Cancer Foundation) - PDF

Find an Expert

• American Cancer Society 
• Find a Cancer Doctor (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
• Find a Urologist (Urology Care Foundation)
• National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish
• Organizations That Offer Support Services  (National Cancer Institute)Also in Spanish
• Prostate Cancer Foundation 

Patient Handouts

• Cryotherapy for prostate cancer (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Digital rectal exam (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Gleason grading system (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Hormone therapy for prostate cancer (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Pelvic (between the hips) radiation - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Prostate brachytherapy (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Prostate cancer (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Prostate cancer - treatment (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Prostate cancer staging (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• Understanding Chemotherapy   (National Cancer Institute) - PDFAlso in Spanish
• Understanding your prostate cancer risk (Medical Encyclopedia)Also in Spanish
• What to Know about Brachytherapy (A Type of Internal Radiation Therapy)  (National Cancer Institute) - PDFAlso in Spanish
• What to Know about External Beam Radiation Therapy  (National Cancer Institute) - PDFAlso in Spanish