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Prostate Problems

Stan just found out that a friend has prostate 

cancer. Many men he knows have prostate 

problems. He’s worried that this might happen 

to him.

It’s true that prostate problems are 

common after age 50. The good news 

is there are many things you can do.

What Is the Prostate?

The prostate is a small gland in men 

that helps make semen. Located just 

below the bladder in front of the rectum, 

it wraps around the tube that carries 

urine and semen out of the body. It tends 

to grow larger as you get older. If your 

prostate gets too large, it can cause a 

number of health issues. 

Common Problems

Here are some examples of noncancer prostate problems:

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, or 

BPH, is very common in older men. 

It means your prostate is enlarged but not 

cancerous. Treatments for BPH include:

■ Watchful waiting, also called active 

surveillance. If your symptoms are not 

too bad, your doctor may tell you to wait 

to see if they get worse before starting 

treatment. Your doctor will tell you how 

often to return for checkups. 

■ Medications. Medicines can help 

shrink the prostate or relax muscles 

near your prostate to ease symptoms. 

■ Surgery. If nothing else has worked, 

your doctor may suggest surgery to help 

urine flow. 

■ Other treatments. Sometimes radio 

waves, microwaves, or lasers are used to 

treat urinary problems caused by BPH. 

These methods use different kinds of 

heat to reduce extra prostate tissue.

Acute bacterial prostatitis usually 

starts suddenly from a bacterial infection. 

See your doctor right away if you have 

fever, chills, or pain in addition to prostate 

symptoms. Most cases can be cured with 

antibiotics. You also may need medication 

to help with pain or discomfort.

Chronic bacterial prostatitis is an 

infection that comes back again and 

again. This rare problem can be hard to 

treat. Sometimes, taking antibiotics for 

a long time may work. Talk with your 

doctor about other things you can do to 

help you feel better.
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Chronic prostatitis, also called 

chronic pelvic pain syndrome, is a 

common prostate problem. It can cause 

pain in the lower back, in the groin, or 

at the tip of the penis. Treatment may 

require a combination of medicines, 

surgery, and lifestyle changes.

Be sure to talk with your doctor about 

the possible side effects of treatment.

Symptoms of Prostate Problems

See your doctor right away if you have 

any of these symptoms:

■ Frequent urge to urinate

■ Need to get up many times during

the night to urinate

■ Blood in urine or semen

■ Pain or burning urination

■ Painful ejaculation

■ Frequent pain or stiffness in lower 

back, hips, pelvic or rectal area, or 

upper thighs

■ Dribbling of urine

Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer is common among 

American men. Your chance of getting 

prostate cancer may be affected by your:

■ Age. Men age 50 and older run a 

greater risk.

■ Race. Prostate cancer is most common 

among African-American men, followed 

by Hispanic and Native American men. 

Asian-American men have the lowest rates 

of prostate cancer.

■ Family history. If your father or 

brother had prostate cancer, you are 

more likely to have it, too.

■ Diet. The risk of prostate cancer may 

be higher for men who eat high-fat diets.

Diagnosing Prostate Cancer

To find out if prostate symptoms 

are caused by cancer, your doctor will 

ask about your past medical problems 

and your family’s medical history. Your 

doctor also will perform a physical exam. 

During the exam, your doctor will put 

a gloved finger into your rectum to 

examine your prostate to check for:

■ The size, firmness, and texture of 

the prostate

■ Any hard areas, lumps, or growth 

spreading beyond the prostate 

■ Any pain caused by touching or 

pressing on the prostate.

You may be asked to give a urine 

sample for testing. Your doctor also 

may do a blood test to check the 

prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. 

PSA levels can be high in men with 

an enlarged prostate gland or with 
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prostate cancer. You may also need an 

ultrasound exam that takes computer 

pictures of the prostate.

If tests show that you might have 

cancer, your doctor will refer you to a 

specialist (a urologist) for a prostate 

biopsy. The doctor will take small 

tissue samples from several areas of the 

prostate gland to look for cancer cells.

PSA Testing

Until recently, many doctors encouraged yearly PSA testing for all men beginning at 

age 50, or even earlier for men at high risk of prostate cancer. As doctors have learned 

more about the benefits and harms of prostate cancer screening, they have begun to 

caution against annual PSA testing. Talk with your doctor about what is best for you. 

Yearly PSA testing in men without symptoms is generally not recommended. However, in 

men who report prostate symptoms, PSA testing (along with digital rectal examination) 

can help doctors determine the nature of the problem. In men who have been treated for 

prostate cancer, the PSA test may be used to see if the cancer has come back.

Treating Prostate Cancer

Treatment for prostate cancer 

depends on whether cancer is in 

part or all of the prostate, or if it has 

spread to other parts of the body. It 

also depends on your age and overall 

health. Talk with your doctor about the 

best treatment choice for you and the 

possible side effects of treatment. You 

may want to ask another doctor for a 

second opinion.

Treatment for prostate cancer may be:

■ Watchful waiting, also called active 

surveillance. If the cancer is not causing 

problems, you may decide not to get 

treated right away. Instead, your doctor 

will check regularly for changes in your 

condition. Treatment will start if the 

cancer begins to grow.

■ Surgery. The most common type 

of surgery removes the whole prostate 

and some nearby tissue. 

■ Radiation therapy. This treatment 

uses radiation to kill cancer cells and 

shrink tumors. The radiation may 

come from an x-ray machine or from 

tiny radioactive pellets placed inside or 

near the tumor.

■ Hormone therapy. Men having 

other treatments, like radiation 

therapy, also may be treated with 

drugs to stop the body from making 
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testosterone. This is done if it seems 

likely that the cancer will come back. 

Hormone therapy also can be used for 

prostate cancer that has spread beyond 

the prostate.

For more details on treatment choices 

for prostate cancer, call the National 

Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information 

Service at 1-800-422-6237 or visit their 

website at www.cancer.gov/prostate.

For More Information about 

Prostate Cancer and Other 

Prostate Problems

National Cancer Institute

Cancer Information Service

1-800-422-6237 (1-800-4-CANCER/

toll-free)

cancergovstaff@mail.nih.gov (email)

www.cancer.gov/prostate

National Urologic Disease

Information Clearinghouse

1-800-860-8747 (toll-free)

1-866-569-1162 (TTY/toll-free)

www.niddk.nih.gov/Pages/contact-us.aspx 

(email form)

www.urologic.niddk.nih.gov

National Library of Medicine 

MedlinePlus: Prostate Diseases

www.medlineplus.gov/prostatediseases.html

For more information on health and 

aging, contact:

National Institute on Aging

Information Center

P.O. Box 8057

Gaithersburg, MD 20898-8057

1-800-222-2225 (toll-free)

1-800-222-4225 (TTY/toll-free)

niaic@nia.nih.gov (email)

www.nia.nih.gov

Visit www.nia.nih.gov/health to find more 

health and aging information from 

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NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health®

July 2016