The prostate, a part of the male reproductive system, is located just below the bladder and produces seminal fluid. When malignant lesions appear in the prostate, initial symptoms often develop subtly, making them easy to miss or confuse with benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Globocan 2022 reported approximately 5,875 new prostate cancer cases in Vietnam, placing it among the top 5 most common cancers in men, alongside liver, lung, stomach, and colorectal cancers.

Dr. Cao Vinh Duy, from the Department of Urology, Center for Urology - Nephrology - Andrology, Tam Anh General Hospital Ho Chi Minh City (TP HCM), states that men can recognize the disease through the following seven warning signs:

Urinary dysfunction: Patients experience symptoms like frequent nighttime urination, frequent urination, urgent urination, and a constant urge to urinate with small, dripping amounts. This may result from a tumor compressing the bladder or urethra, or nerve damage controlling urination.

Dr. Duy consults with male patients at Tam Anh General Hospital. _Photo: Hospital provided_

Difficult urination, weak stream: Difficult urination is common in older men. However, if accompanied by a slow, weak, intermittent, or complete inability to urinate, the cause may be a growing prostate tumor, obstructing the bladder's urinary outflow tract.

Painful, burning urination: This condition often relates to urinary tract infections. However, some cases are an early sign of prostate cancer, especially when symptoms are persistent, recurrent, and do not respond well to medical treatment.

Blood in urine: This is a concerning sign, often appearing when cancer has progressed. An invasive tumor can damage blood vessels or cause inflammation in the urinary tract, leading to blood in the urine.

Painful ejaculation: A developing cancerous mass can cause swelling, inflammation, or compression of the urethra and ejaculatory ducts. This may be accompanied by blood in semen, difficult urination, or pelvic pain, signaling advanced disease.

Pelvic, back, hip pain: Dull pain in the lower back, hips, upper thighs, or pelvis can indicate prostate cancer that has metastasized to the bones.

Physiological and systemic dysfunction: Erectile dysfunction, leg weakness, numbness, persistent fatigue, and rapid unexplained weight loss suggest advanced cancer.

Dr. Duy states that if prostate cancer is detected and treated early, the 5-year survival rate after diagnosis is approximately 99%. The survival rate is lower if the cancer has metastasized. Therefore, men over 50, or over 45 with a family history of the disease, should undergo regular screening with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test and a digital rectal exam at a hospital.

The risk of the disease can be reduced through a healthy lifestyle, increased physical activity, and regular exercise to improve overall health, maintain a healthy weight, and avoid overweight or obesity. A balanced diet, limiting salt, sugar, unhealthy fats, and processed foods, while increasing vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, is also recommended.

Ha Thanh