Featured In: The Coalville Times, Friday, 12th November, 2021

HEALTH MATTERS WITH DR NIC RUSHMAN

Facts:

• Only men have a prostate gland
• It’s the size and shape of a walnut and grows bigger as you get older
• It sits underneath the bladder and surrounds the tube that carries urine
• Prostate cancer often grows slowly and may never cause any problems
• Some men have prostate cancer that is more likely to spread
• When prostate cancer spreads it may need treatment

Signs of prostate cancer often involve your waterworks:

• Needing to pass water often, especially at night
• Difficulty starting or stopping the flow
• Weak flow
• Feeling that your bladder hasn’t emptied
• Pain or burning when you pass water or with sex
• Blood in urine or semen
• Difficulty with erections
• Sometimes there are no signs

Some of these signs indicate a normal prostate growing with age – you do not neces- sarily have cancer. But if you do have any of the signs above, speak with your GP Surgery. They will ask you questions and may arrange tests:

• Blood tests (a PSA test)
• Examination of the prostate gland If your GP refers you to hospital:
• An MRI scan
• A biopsy where a tiny sample of prostate tis- sue is removed and sent to the lab What is the treatment?
• ‘Watchful waiting’ with close monitoring may be all that is needed
• An operation may be needed depending on the sort of cancer and your own health
• Radiotherapy
• Hormone treatment

Living With Prostate Cancer

Usually, prostate cancer is slow to change and often you can live with it for decades with- out any problems and without needing treat- ment. Sometimes though the cancer or the treatment can cause difficulties and you may need support – see the Prostate Cancer UK website or speak with your GP Surgery for more information.

Adapted from Movember: https://uk.movem- ber.com/mens-health/prostate-cancer

More information: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/ https://prostatecanceruk.org/