I think I have cancer

Assessing the symptoms

If you think you may have cancer, the first thing you might think about would be detecting symptoms. Unfortunately, detecting symptoms for prostate cancer is difficult and you won’t know you have it until the prostate cancer is advanced. Pressure on the urine flow will occur when the cancer is quite large.

For those who experience symptoms, they could include:

  • Blood in the urine or semen
  • Lower back, upper thigh or hip pain
  • Issues with urination- difficulty with urinating, needed to urinate often, weak or interrupted flow
  • Sexual issues- erectile dysfunction or painful ejaculation

 

How we can tell if you might have prostate cancer

We make the diagnosis for prostate cancer by first administering a PSA blood test. A high or rising PSA level may indicate cancer, these normal PSA ranges will depend on age. Other tests we conduct to determine cancer include a digital rectal examination where a lump may detect cancer, multi parametric MRI which is able to exclude a cancer by showing abnormal changes within the prostate, accurate biopsy and then a grade and stage of the cancer is interpreted by an experienced pathologist.

Why is early diagnosis so important?

To remove the cancer during surgery but to keep the functions (bladder, rectum etc) the cancer needs to be small and inside the prostate gland. Early diagnosis is therefore critical to ensure the cancer doesn’t spread too widely to other areas around the prostate which can cause further complications.

 

What can you do?

Book an appointment with your GP and ask for a referral to Dr Tom Shannon at The Prostate Clinic. Once you have your referral, please email it to us at secretary@theprostateclinic.com.au and we will endeavour to book you an appointment at the earliest time possible.

Dr Tom Shannon can assess your situation and provide you with a proper diagnosis and treatment plan.