KEY POINTS

  • Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men
  • >174,650 American men are diagnosed with prostate cancer this year.
  • Blood in semen could be an indicator of prostate cancer
  • Other signs include an increased urge to urinate and straining during urination

Being the most common cancer among men, prostate cancer affects 174,650 Americans this year. About 60% of the affected individuals are 65 years and older. The symptoms of prostate cancer do not appear until the disease has progressed enough to put pressure on the urethra. It is important to recognize the early warning signs of this deadly disease.

Since this cancer affects the tube that carries urine from the bladder out of the penis, it can affect the way a man urinates. But, the disease can also affect certain aspects of a person’s sex life.

Hemospermia, a.k.a. blood in semen, creates fear of cancer or a sexually transmitted disease among men. Both benign polyps and malignant tumors of the prostate gland can cause hemospermia. Men, whose sole symptom is this, are more likely to suffer from prostate cancer than men who do not have blood in their semen, Harvard Medical School mentioned.

A study conducted at Northwestern University reported that among 13.7% of those who complained of blood in semen were diagnosed with prostate cancer. This indicates that blood in semen can also be due to reasons other than prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer can also affect the surrounding glands or blood vessels in and around the male reproductive system.

Other symptoms of prostate cancer include an increased need to urinate, straining while urinating and a feeling that the bladder hasn’t been completely emptied. Though these symptoms do not strictly indicate prostate cancer, it is advised not to ignore them.

There isn’t an exact cause for prostate cancer but numerous things have been associated with an increased risk of developing it. Experts believe that the condition starts when some cells in the prostate gland get abnormal. Mutations in the abnormal cells’ DNA cause the cells to multiply rapidly and lead to cancer.

The risk of prostate cancer increases with age, especially after the age of 50. Reports have it that most cases occured in northern Europe and North America. Also, there have been spiking numbers of Asian men, who live in Singapore, Hong Kong, European and North American cities, suffering from this fatal disease, notably those with unhealthy diets and less physical activities.

There has been no established way of preventing this cancer but chemoprevention and consuming a well-balanced diet have been followed to reduce one’s risk of prostate cancer, the American Society of Clinical Oncology shared.

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Blood in semen could be an early warning sign of prostate cancer Victoria_Borodinova, Pixabay