This week news emerged that King Charles is being treated for an enlarged prostate. That led to a more than 1000% increase to the NHS England pages about prostate conditions.
Experts at North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Trust (NCIC) are sharing advice about the signs and symptoms to look out for that could indicate issues with your prostate.
Mr Ioannis Michalakis lead cancer clinician for NCIC explains:
“The prostate is usually the size and shape of a walnut and grows bigger as you get older. Benign prostate enlargement is common in men over the age of 50 and you would expect around 70-80% of men over the age of 75 to have an enlarged prostate.
“An enlarged prostate can lead to men needing to pee more frequently or difficulty peeing.
“The symptoms of prostate cancer are similar to having an enlarged prostate. Many men worry that having an enlarged prostate means they have an increased risk of developing prostate cancer but this isn't the case.”
Help is available to you, if you are worried please visit your GP.
Mr Michalakis added:
“Simple tests can be done that can rule out cancer and you can get advice about medication or lifestyle changes that will improve your symptoms.”
NHS England’s prostate enlargement page provides information on the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of benign prostate enlargement (BPE).
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the UK with more than 52,000 men diagnosed each year. It mainly affects men over 50, and your risk increases with age.