Prostate cancer symptoms and treatment: What to check for

"The prostate is a gland that is about the size of a walnut which sits just below the bladder within the pelvis. It surrounds the urethra - the tube that takes urine out of the body through the penis. Prostate cancer - abnormal and uncontrolled cell growth - often develops slowly. There may be no signs or symptoms for years and some people never develop any problems from it."

"Prostate Cancer UK says one in eight men will get prostate cancer at some point in their lives. Around 52,300 men are diagnosed each year in the UK, and there are around 12,200 prostate cancer deaths every year, according to Cancer Research UK. It is most common in older age - among men over 75. Cases in the under-50s are rare."

Targeted prostate cancer screening is proposed urgently to improve early detection and reduce mortality. Prostate cancers vary from very slow-growing to aggressive, so some tumours require minimal or no treatment while others can be deadly. The prostate is a walnut-sized gland beneath the bladder that surrounds the urethra. Early detection offers the best treatment outcomes. One in eight men will develop prostate cancer; about 52,300 diagnoses and 12,200 deaths occur annually in the UK, mostly in older men. Risk increases with a close family history and in black men. Common symptoms include urinary frequency, weak flow, difficulty starting, and blood in urine or semen. No single diagnostic test exists; symptoms require medical evaluation.

Read at www.bbc.com