A
Checklist
Do you have Prostate Cancer?
Often, early stage prostate cancer does not cause any symptoms. But,
in some cases, men with prostate cancer may experience any of the following
problems:
- A need to urinate frequently, especially at night
- Difficulty starting
urination or holding back urine
- Weak or interrupted flow of urine
- Painful or burning urination
- Difficulty in having an erection
- Painful ejaculation
- Blood in urine or semen, or
- Frequent pain or stiffness in the lower
back, hips, or upper thighs. A man who is diagnosed with prostatitis or BPH may have an increased risk for prostate cancer.
You should speak with your doctor immediately if you have experienced
any of the above symptoms or if you are a man over 50 who has not had
a recent prostate cancer screening. If you have a family history of prostate
cancer, or are an African-American male, you should consider screening
at age 45. A few men might want screening at an even earlier age. But
before you have a biopsy, or have surgery, or do anything too invasive,
you should consider what you might do if you have prostate cancer. You
should educate yourself before making an irreversible decision.

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